Protests Continued Last Night
Reports and videos published on social media indicate that on the evening of January 4, nationwide protests in Iran continued for the eighth consecutive day. In numerous cities, there were street rallies and protests by civilians and clashes with security forces.
Videos posted online and obtained by RFE/RL's Radio Farda showed that protests continued in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Yasuj, Ilam, and Fardis, while fires burned in the streets of Mashhad and Mahallat on January 3.
According to reports from inside Iran, clashes between protesters and counter-riot forces have been particularly intense in the western city of Ilam, to the point where security forces stormed the city's Imam Khomeini Hospital and dispersed protesters.
Video appearing to be from Ilam show security forces firing tear gas at protesters.
Eyewitnesses in Ilam say that the number of security forces in some parts of the city has reached more than 150 people -- and there have been shots fired at protests, although it is unclear what weapons or ammunition was used.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported the arrest of at least 17 citizens, including a teenager, in the broader Ilam Province region.
Son Of The Shah Publishes List Of Protesters Killed
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was ousted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has published on X a list of protesters he says have been killed in the ongoing protests in Iran. He wrote, "I assure you that the perpetrators of these crimes will be identified and punished without a doubt."
Pahlavi lives in the US and advocates for regime change in Iran.
Writers Association Comes Out In Support Of Protesters
Iran's Writers Association, a banned organization whose members have been persecuted by the state, issued a statement supporting the country's "unquestionable right to protest."
The statement calls on all freedom-loving writers, artists, and like-minded organizations around the world to "not allow the government to once again fill prisons and cemeteries with protesters."
The Writers'Association emphasized that Iran "built its foundation on the killing, torture, and imprisonment of opponents, critics, and freedom-seekers" and has always "immediately stifled" the voice of any protest.
In the statement, the association said that the Iranian government has once again "opened fire on protesters, attacked hospitals to kidnap the wounded, and carried out [many] arrests."
The Writers Association wrote that the number of deaths and arrests in Iran is increasing every day.
Nearly 1,000 Arrests So Far, According To Iran Rights Monitor
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based nonprofit that monitors human rights violations in Iran has been providing daily updates on the protests on their website.
In its latest report, HRANA says that over the past eight days, there have been protests, street gatherings, or strikes in at least 222 locations in 78 cities across 26 provinces of the country. Seventeen universities, according to the organization, have also been the scene of student protests.
The report says that at least 990 citizens have been arrested during this period and at least 19 protesters have lost their lives. (Other reports claim the numbers of arrested and killed are higher.) According to HRANA, 51 injuries have been recorded so far, mostly from shotgun pellets and rubber bullets.
In the past 24 hours, dozens of cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashhad, Kermanshah, and Bandar Abbas, have witnessed demonstrations or have seen the introduction of security forces into the area.
The Kurdpa news agency, which reports from Kurdish areas in Iran, also reported that at least 30 people were injured during January 4 protests in Malekshahi.
Due to the reporting restrictions for Western media in Iran, it is not possible to independently verify the exact number of dead and injured.
Further Details About Unrest In Ilam
Regime-affiliated media is coming out with information about security forces storming a hospital in the western city of Ilam and dispersing protesters with shotgun pellets and tear gas.
Previous reports from inside Iran said that security forces attacked protesters. The Norway-based NGO Hengaw accused the Iranian authorities of trying to remove the bodies of dead protesters from the hospital.
The Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), published an article claiming that protesters were using the hospital as a "barracks."
Fars claims that after security forces clashed with protesters in the city of Malekshahi on January 3, in the surrounding Ilam Province, injured protesters were transferred to Ilam's Imam Khomeini Hospital where "conditions in the hospital became inflamed."
The news agency claimed that "the clashes spread from the hospital grounds to the surrounding streets and continued until last night."
"Last night, during an operation by security forces, a number of protesters were arrested in the hospital and its surroundings," Fars claimed, adding that the conditions in the hospital are currently "almost normal."
Given Fars's affiliation with the IRGC, we are seeking independent verification from protesters inside Ilam.
'We Have Been Stuck In Our Homes': Afghan Refugees In Iran Fear Fallout From Protests
A number of Afghans living in Iran say they have been facing severe hardships due to the widespread protests and the presence of increased security forces in various areas in the country in recent days.
Leda Amini, an Afghan refugee and human rights activist living in Tehran, says she is deeply concerned about the situation created by the protests in the past few days.
She told Radio Azadi on January 3 that the situation is not good now and that her son, who works in a shop, was stuck at his workplace until late at night due to the protests.
"This issue has made us all very worried, because a very small movement can cause us a big headache," she said. "We try not to participate in any kind of gathering and even not go to areas where there are protests. Last night, the situation where my son works was abnormal. My son called and said that the situation was very bad, and he could not come home. The weather was also cold. We were all very worried until midnight."
Another Afghan refugee, who also lives in Tehran and does not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that the protests have made it difficult for her to even leave her home.
"The situation in our area is very bad. My husband and I cannot go out. We have been stuck in our homes for a week. The restrictions on the streets and markets have increased unreasonably. We are all worried about the fate of our refugees."
Meanwhile, a number of Afghan refugees from the Iranian cities of Yazd and Mashhad told Radio Azadi that the government has issued a statement urging foreign nationals not to participate in the protests.
They also said that their Internet services have been weaker than usual.
Many Afghan refugees say that the increased presence of security forces in various areas and restrictions on movement have made their situation even more difficult.
'People Are No Longer Afraid To Die,' Says Activist
Motahareh Gounei, is a student activist and a human rights defender based in Iran who has been arrested several times in the past. She spoke to Radio Farda’s Roya Karimi Majd about the protests.
“I witnessed a scene in Qom where a crowd was moving toward the security forces without fear --unafraid that they might be shot. People are truly fed up. We have had enough. Even if they execute us, we are exhausted by the life the Islamic republic has imposed on us, by this suffocating atmosphere. Our most basic demands are inseparable from the survival of the Islamic republic itself: when will it end? When will [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei’s political life end?
People see that an individual they didn't elect is deciding their fate based on his dictatorial nature --because he is a dictator, because he is obsessed with power and incapable of relinquishing it. All barriers between the people and the establishment have collapsed. People are no longer afraid to die.
Today, we want the world to know that we do not want the Islamic republic. We do not want this establishment.”
What Might US Military Action In Venezuela Mean For Iran?
RFE/RL's Kian Sharifi has been looking at what the ouster of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela might mean for Iran:
Washington is unlikely to carry out a similar operation in Iran. But the brazen Venezuela attack has sent a clear signal to Tehran that the United States is willing to use force to remove its enemies, experts say.
Trump recently warned Iran that Washington was “locked and loaded” and ready to intervene if Tehran killed “peaceful protesters” during ongoing antiestablishment protests. Iranian security forces have so far killed at least 19 protesters in a brutal state crackdown.
However, experts say the United States replicating its Venezuela operation in Iran and deposing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- who has been in power since 1989 -- is unlikely.
Read more here
Iranian Security Forces Shoot At Protesters
Iranian security forces shot and reportedly killed protesters as demonstrations continue across the country. The Norway-based human rights group Hengaw reported that at least four people were killed and 30 were wounded in the western Iranian city of Malekshahi on January 3. (WARNING: Viewers may find the content of this video disturbing)
UN Chief Calls On Iran To Respect Right To Peaceful Protest
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Iran to respect demonstrators' right to "protest peacefully," according to the AFP news agency.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, told reporters that the secretary general emphasized "the need to prevent any further casualties."
He also called on Tehran "uphold the right of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly" and that "all individuals must be allowed to protest peacefully and express their grievances."