Devastation in Iran: Personal Stories from Protesters Amid Crackdown

Thu Jan 15 2026 14:57:46 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Heart-wrenching testimonials emerge from Iranian protests, revealing the tragic impacts of state violence on civilians. One man recounts carrying his wife’s lifeless body after she was shot during a demonstration.

Amid widespread protests across Iran, many civilians, including women and children, have lost their lives due to state violence. Personal accounts reveal the heartbreaking realities faced by the victims' families, illustrating deep-seated grief and urgent calls for justice. As the government faces backlash, the stories of the deceased serve as a grim reminder of the cost of dissent.

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of death and injury

Heading home after joining a protest in Tehran on 8 January, Reza put his arms around his wife Maryam to protect her. Suddenly, I felt my arm go light – there was only her jacket in my hands, he told a family member. Maryam had been fatally shot - and they had no idea where the bullet had come from.

Reza carried Maryam's body for an hour and a half. Exhausted, he sat down in an alley. After a short time, the door of a nearby house opened. The people who lived there took them into their garage, brought a white sheet and wrapped Maryam's body in it.

Days before Maryam headed out to the protests, she had told her children - aged seven and 14 – about what was happening in their country. Sometimes parents go to the protests and don't come back, she said. My blood, and yours, is no more precious than anyone else's.

Maryam is one of thousands of protesters who should have returned home but never did, as the authorities responded to the rapid spread of demonstrations across Iran with a deadly crackdown. The US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has confirmed the killings of at least 2,400 protesters, including 12 children, in just three weeks.

Demonstrations began on 29 December after a significant decline in Iran's currency value. They rapidly escalated into widespread unrest against the clerical regime, prompting a violent response from security forces that reportedly claimed at least 100 security personnel lives and targeted protesters, labeling them as rioters and terrorists.\

Eyewitness accounts describe chaos akin to warfare, with reports of live ammunition used against demonstrators. The situation remains dire as the Iranian government implements an internet blackout, obstructing external communications and hindering the ability to accurately report on the events. Many families are now facing unfathomable grief, burying loved ones in secrecy, with some even being forced to inter their deceased under government supervision.

As demonstrations spread throughout all provinces of Iran, the extent of state violence has weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of the citizens, igniting a global outcry for human rights and justice.