Iran: Protest Killings Under an Internet Shutdown
Evidence state · Verified · source register exposed
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January investigations documented mass killings of protesters and bystanders. Their visual counts are partial evidence, not a final national death toll.
What the investigations document
Protesters were shot. Families then had to search for them among the dead. In its January 16 investigation, Human Rights Watch described mass killings after protests escalated on January 8. Its researchers interviewed 21 people, analyzed 51 verified photographs and videos, and consulted forensic experts. They documented gunshot injuries to heads and torsos and counted at least 400 bodies or body bags in footage from the Kahrizak forensic center. HRW, January 16.
Amnesty's January 14 investigation also documented security forces firing on protesters and bystanders. It counted at least 205 distinct body bags in five Kahrizak videos after accounting for duplication. Its evidence included videos, photographs, medical consultation and accounts from inside and outside Iran. A journalist's account shared with Amnesty pleaded: “Tell the world that unspeakable crimes are being committed in Iran”. Amnesty, January 14, English release.
What those numbers can carry
The two Kahrizak counts overlap. Adding them would count some of the same people twice. Neither is a national total. HRW reported that thousands were believed killed; that broader estimate has a different evidentiary basis from the bodies visible in the footage. Both organizations described communications restrictions that obstructed documentation.
Review — October 8, 2026
This record verifies the stated findings and limits of these January reports. It does not claim a final death toll or an exhaustive account of subsequent events. The severity label concerns documented mass bodily harm; it is an editorial classification, not a court judgment. No archived copy is claimed.