Iran government accused of ordering deadly force against protesters

Disturbing online footage has emerged, revealing a severe escalation in the Iranian government's response to nationwide protests, with allegations of lethal force being authorized against civilians.

As of Jan. 25, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 5,848 confirmed deaths, including 5,520 protesters, 77 children under 18, 209 government-affiliated forces, and 42 non-protesters, while noting 17,091 additional deaths remain under investigation.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities claim a lower figure of 3,117 without providing supporting documentation.

Crackdown Intensifies with Shoot-to-Kill Orders

Reports indicate that on the night of Jan. 8, orders were allegedly given to security forces, including the IRGC and Basij, to use deadly force against demonstrators, Fox News reported.

Iranian journalist Fatemeh Jamalpour, who has covered protest movements for two decades, stated, “The new thing I have seen in these protests, something we have not seen before, is that starting on the night of January 8, the regime issued shoot-to-kill orders to the IRGC, the Basij and the riot police, authorizing direct fire.”

Death Toll Estimates Spark Controversy

Jamalpour’s words paint a grim picture, but let’s be clear: if true, this marks a chilling shift from crowd control to outright elimination, a policy that prioritizes power over human life.

Death toll estimates vary widely, with HRANA’s confirmed count at 5,848, while a medical paper by Munich Med Group, authored by Dr. Amir-Mobarez Parasta, suggests a staggering 33,130 as a lower-bound figure based on hospital data and extrapolation as of Jan. 23.

Iran International, meanwhile, claims over 36,500 deaths occurred in just two days on Jan. 8 and 9, though these numbers lack independent verification—a reminder that in a blackout of information, truth becomes the first casualty.

Heartbreaking Stories of Loss Emerge

Among the fallen is Mehdi Khanmohammadi, a 67-year-old retired army colonel and pilot, killed by two bullets on Jan. 9 in Saadat Abad, as reported by Jamalpour.

Jamalpour described a haunting video of Khanmohammadi’s daughter pleading over his body, saying, “Can you open your eyes and wake up?”

That kind of grief cuts deep, and when a nation mourns children and elders alike—most victims under 30—it’s hard to see this as anything but a desperate regime clinging to control at any cost.

Concerns Mount Over Detained Protesters

Jamalpour also noted medical workers’ accounts of protesters shot in the head or neck, often with multiple bullets or while fleeing, suggesting a deliberate intent to kill rather than disperse.

Adding to the horror, over 20,000 detained protesters face potential execution, per lawyers and human rights groups, raising alarms about a judicial system that seems more like a conveyor belt to the gallows than a dispenser of justice.

Amid internet blackouts and state intimidation, Jamalpour hears whispers of hope for international support to free Iran, alongside a resolve to topple the regime—a mix of anguish and defiance that could signal more unrest if the world doesn’t take notice.