Pahlavi Says 'No Escape Route' For Khameini Whose Hands Are 'Stained With Blood'
Former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has described Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “an anti-Iranian criminal” whose hands are “stained with the blood of tens of thousands of Iranians.”
In a video message addressed to Khamenei, Mr. Pahlavi said: “You, your regime, and all your mercenaries will be held accountable for every drop of blood you have shed -- without exception.”
Referring to the prosecution and punishment of Nazi criminals at Nuremberg, he told Khamenei that he and his accomplices have “no escape route” and “no place to hide,” and that they too will be tried and punished.
Emphasizing that “the killers of the people of Iran will enjoy no immunity,” Pahlavi also addressed the Iranian people, saying: “You are not alone. Your resistance has changed history. You are standing on the front line of freedom.”
“Believe in yourselves; in your unity; in your courage; in your greatness…" he added. "This regime fears you and your power. We will not allow our grief to turn into despair.”
At the same time, he called on the people to “be ready,” because “the moment to return to the streets will come."
Pahlavi, who lives abroad, also issued a message of support on social media for the protesters, telling them that they have “won the admiration of the world with your courage and steadfastness” while announcing that he was planning to return to Iran in the near future.
Protesters came out in force on January 8 and January 9 night following calls by Reza Pahlavi for sustained street demonstrations.
Iranian authorities have responded to the unrest with a brutal crackdown in which thousands have been killed.
European Parliament Applauds Iranian Protesters
Members of the European Parliament have held a minute's applause in honor of the Iranian protests.
"I know many of you want to remember the thousands murdered on Iran's streets, but the people of Iran do not need silence," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told members of the assembly in a public session on January 19. "They have been kept forcefully silent for 47 years. So today I'll ask you to do something a little bit different. I ask that we pay tribute to those killed by joining me in filling this chamber with a moment of applause as we honor their bravery and their courage."
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with the news that the US-based rights group HRANA now says its confirmed death toll in the Iranian protests has now climbed past 4,000 and there are more than 9,000 cases under review. The death toll from the crackdown on the protests is substantially higher than those of previous bouts of unrest put down by the authorities in 2022 and 2009, but an Internet blackout has made it difficult to verify information and ascertain a precise tally.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we will be back again tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. CET to follow all the latest developments in Iran.
Report: Iranian Teenage Soccer Player 'Sentenced to Death'
Amirhossein Qaderzadeh, a 19-year-old soccer player in the northern city of Rasht, has been “sentenced to death” for taking part in protests.
According to reported information received by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, Qaderzadeh was arrested on January 15 at his home after plainclothes agents noticed pellet gun wounds on his body during a physical search.
The report says that Qaderzadeh -- who is a member of the Iranian top flight soccer club Sepahan S.C -- had taken part in protests with friends several days earlier and had been hit by pellet gun fire, but later refrained from attending further demonstrations out of concern for his family’s safety.
It adds that the death sentence was conveyed verbally to his family following a court hearing.
No official written verdict has yet been issued in Qaderzadeh’s case, and there is no information available about the arresting authority or the court branch handling the matter.
Videos Emerge Showing Brutal Tactics Of Iranian Security Forces
Newly emerging videos show Iranian security forces firing into crowds of protesters on January 8 and breaking into buildings and homes to arrest and beat people in the wake of countrywide mass protests. RFE/RL's Radio Farda spoke to the family of a protester killed in the crackdown. HRANA, a US-based human rights organization has said more than 3,900 were killed in clashes but that number is expected to grow higher.
UN Rights Commissioner Says Iran Using Death Penalty As 'Tool Of State Intimidation'
The United Nations has accused Iran of using the death penalty as "as a tool of state intimidation,"
The UN high commissioner for human rights was reported as saying in a statement that according to reports received, Iran carried out 1,500 executions in the past calendar year alone.
Volker Turk warned that "the scale and pace of executions suggest a systematic use of capital punishment as a tool of state intimidation, with disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and migrants."
Many of the executions were “for offences not meeting the ‘most serious crimes’ threshold required under international law,” Turk said, also criticizing “the continued execution of people convicted of crimes committed as children, as well as persistent secrecy around executions.”
“This is not only incompatible with international law but also ineffective in deterring crime,” he added.
The sharp increase has been driven in part by executions for drug-related offences not involving intentional killing, with the UN rights office saying that at least 47 percent of executions in Iran in 2025 were linked to drug crimes.
Erdogan Calls Iran Protests a “New Test” for Tehran
In his first official reaction to the recent protests in Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the unrest as a “new test” for Tehran.
In a televised speech after a weekly cabinet meeting on January 19, Erdogan said that following Iran's recent conflict with Israel, the country "is now facing a new test that targets its social peace and stability.”
"We are all watching the scenarios that are being attempted to be written through the streets," he added.
Erdogan said he hoped Iranian authorities would overcome the situation “with a policy prioritizing dialogue and diplomacy,” adding that he believed Iran could “get through this trap-filled period.”
Erdogan also stressed that Turkey would continue to “stand against any initiative that risks dragging our region into uncertainty.”
On January 15, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Ankara was oppposed to any military intervention against Iran and believed Tehran should address its internal issues independently
'A Stain Of Shame': Iranian Man Says 3 Family Members Killed During Protests
Mikaeil Askari, an Iranian who lives abroad, has been speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda about how three members of his family were killed on the evening of January 9 as a result of security forces firing at their car in the Gohardasht district of the city of Karaj in north-central Iran.
Askari says his cousin, Zahra Bani-Amerian, along with her husband, Bijan Mostafavi, and their child Daniel Mostafavi, were shot and killed while they were in their private vehicle after military forces opened fire on them. Another child of the family -- Davud Mostafavim, who was driving -- was injured.
Askari says “it’s not quite clear” how the incident occurred.
“The window on the side of the driver [Davud] was opened. He either chanted slogans or honked, and they shot him with pellets. He panicked and tried to get away from there. They fired live ammunition at the car from behind,” killing three of its occupants.
According to Askari, security forces then beat up Davud, who was injured, before taking him to hospital. He was later released on bail.
Askari added that his cousin’s husband was a “war veteran” and that it was a “bitter irony” that he died in this way.
Bijan “fought on the front lines against Saddam Hussein. And [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei brought soldiers to the streets of Tehran and Karaj to kill people,” he said. “This crime is a stain of shame that will remain on the face of the Islamic republic.”
Askari said the bodies of the family members were buried in Kermanshah Province in the presence of security forces, and that their relatives in Iran are under surveillance and pressure from authorities.
Meta Confirms Hiding Follower Lists Of Some Iranians
Meta, the US-based technology company that operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has confirmed that it is restricting access to the lists of followers and followed accounts for some Iranian users.
“ We know accounts of activists and journalists are often targeted and we’ve designed policies to give these groups more protections from threats of violence -- including removing content that “outs” people as activists in situations that could put them in danger,” a Meta spokesperson told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.
“And when we become aware of human rights defenders who have been arrested or detained as a result of their work, we take steps to thwart unauthorized access to their accounts -- as we have done here, they added.
Screengrabs of the Instagram account of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, showing that Meta has hidden both his followers and the accounts he follows.
Salehi has gained prominence for lyrics that rail against corruption, widespread poverty, executions, and the killing of protesters in Iran.
He was sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in April 2024, but the sentence was overturned by Iran’s Supreme Court, and he was released from prison in December 2024 after serving a separate sentence.
