: Iran Protests: Brutal Police Response and Regime Crackdown
- Demonstrators have continued to take to the streets of Iran, defying an escalating crackdown by authorities against the growing protest movement.
- An internet shutdown imposed by the authorities on Thursday has largely cut the protesters off from the rest of the world, but videos that trickled out of the...
- New protests broke out late on Saturday with people rallying in a northern district of Tehran, according to a video verified by AFP.
Demonstrators have continued to take to the streets of Iran, defying an escalating crackdown by authorities against the growing protest movement.
An internet shutdown imposed by the authorities on Thursday has largely cut the protesters off from the rest of the world, but videos that trickled out of the country showed thousands of people demonstrating in Tehran overnight into saturday morning. They chanted: “Death to Khamenei,” in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and: “Long live the shah.”
New protests broke out late on Saturday with people rallying in a northern district of Tehran, according to a video verified by AFP.
Fireworks were set off over Tehran’s Punak Square as demonstrators banged pots and shouted slogans in support of the Pahlavi rulers ousted after the 1979 Islamic revolution, the video showed.
Crowds of protesters also marched through the streets of Mashhad as fires burned around them, a show of defiance in the home town of Khamenei, who has condemned the protesters as “vandals” and blamed the US for fanning the flames of dissent.
Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iranian authorities kill protesters,earning angry rebukes from Tehran. He said on Friday that the Iranian authorities were “in big trouble”, adding: “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting too.”
On Saturday night he said the US is “ready to help” as protesters in Iran faced an intensifying crackdown by authorities of the Islamic republic.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump said in a social post on truth Social, without elaborating.
Those authorities warned people to not take part in protests on saturday.The country’s attorney general, Mohammad Mahvadi Azad, said anyone who did so would be considered an “enemy of god”, a charge which carries the death penalty. State TV later clarified that anyone who even assisted protesters could face the charge.
Despite the crackdown, more protests were planned for the weekend. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former shah of Iran, called for protesters to take to the streets on Saturday and Sunday and seize control of their towns.Pahlavi, who has emerged as an increasingly popular figure in the current round of protests, asked people
The protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police, have spread to dozens of cities across Iran, with demonstrators chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom” and calling for the overthrow of the Islamic republic.
The scale of the unrest is unprecedented in its intensity and geographical spread, and poses the moast serious challenge to the regime as the 2009 Green Movement protests.
Reza Pahlavi,the son of the last shah of Iran,has called for a general strike and urged Iranians to demonstrate against the regime,promising a return to Iran soon and appearing in videos online
He was filmed at a rally in Washington DC,appearing to hoist the pre-1979 “lion and sun” flag that was used during his father’s rule.
“Our goal is no longer merely to come into the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize city centres and hold them,” he said, promising he would return to Iran soon.
The continuing block on the internet and mobile networks means it is hard for international media to estimate the size of the demonstrations, the largest in Iran in recent years, which pose a serious challenge to the regime’s rule.
But the few videos coming out of the country, as well as activists who managed to evade the blackout via the Starlink satellite system, spoke of angry protesters and a heavy-handed police response.
“We’re standing up for a revolution, but we need help. Snipers have been stationed behind the Tajrish Arg area [a wealthy neighbourhood in Tehran],” a protester in Tehran told the Guardian via sporadic text messages sent via Starlink. The protester said many people had been shot at across the city, adding: “We saw hundreds of bodies.”
The Guardian was not able to independently verify the protesters’ claims and human rights activists have also said verification of reported human rights violations is arduous.
However, another activist in Tehran told the Guardian they had witnessed security forces firing live ammunition at protesters and saw a “very high” number killed, while human rights activists said the claims of police brutality were consistent with testimony they had been given.
The US-based Human Rights Activist news agency has said that at least 72 people had been killed in the violence surrounding the protests and more than 2,300 others detained. Rights groups and Iranian authorities have also documented casualties among security forces,which the latter blame on foreign-backed saboteurs.
Iran Protests: Escalating Violence and Rights Concerns (January 2026)
Table of Contents
Recent reports indicate escalating violence against protesters in Iran, with human rights groups documenting increasing instances of generalized violence perpetrated by security officials. As of January 11, 2026, the situation remains volatile, with limited autonomous verification possible due to ongoing internet restrictions.
Protests in Tehran and Reported Deaths
Reports from Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based association documenting human rights abuses in Iran, indicate that family members have been identifying bodies of protesters at Ghadir hospital in Tehran. Iran Human Rights verified a video showing distressed families searching through a pile of bodies, alleging they were protesters killed by Iranian authorities. Independent confirmation of the number of deaths remains challenging.
Forced Confessions and Due Process Concerns
fars News Agency, affiliated with Iranian security services, has broadcast videos appearing to show forced confessions from protesters. Fars news Agency is considered a state-controlled media outlet. Human rights activists have warned that such confessions are a violation of international law and are frequently used as evidence in Iranian courts, potentially leading to executions. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, prohibits the use of coerced confessions.
Internet Blackout and Information Control
the Iranian government continues to implement a widespread internet blackout, severely hindering documentation of protest activity and human rights violations.Activists are attempting to circumvent these restrictions, appealing to international media for continued coverage. Reporters Without Borders has consistently documented Iran’s severe restrictions on internet access and freedom of the press.
Calls for accountability
Iranian activists are urging media outlets to specifically report that protesters are being killed with live ammunition. The lack of openness and independent access to information makes verifying these claims difficult, but underscores the severity of the situation. Amnesty International has repeatedly called for independent investigations into the use of excessive force by Iranian security forces against protesters.
Latest Verified Status (january 11, 2026): The situation in Iran remains highly unstable. Reports of violence continue to emerge, but independent verification is hampered by internet restrictions and limited access for international observers. The use of forced confessions and the potential for executions remain meaningful concerns.