Unmasking the Horror: How Iranian Medical Workers Exposed a Regime's Massacre

In early January, as street protests erupted across Iran, the authorities plunged the nation into an internet and phone blackout. This digital curtain concealed a bloody crackdown from most of the world. However, Iran’s dedicated doctors and nurses bore witness to the horrific aftermath.

Undertaking immense personal risk, Iranian medical workers spanning 14 cities and 11 provinces bravely shared their experiences of treating wounded protesters. Their testimonies paint a grim picture of a state-sponsored massacre, a reality the regime desperately sought to hide.

By Roxana Saberi and Fatemeh Jamalpour

Ms. Saberi is an Iranian American journalist, formerly imprisoned in Tehran. Ms. Jamalpour is an Iranian journalist residing in the United States.

The Unseen Atrocities: Medical Workers Break the Silence

During the peak of the violent suppression of anti-regime protests in January, a medical professional in the northern city of Rasht found their trauma center inundated with hundreds of injured demonstrators. The injuries were severe and deliberate: many victims were struck by multiple pellets or bullets targeting critical areas like their heads, necks, chests, femurs, and abdomens. “They were shooting to kill, absolutely,” he recounted.

After four harrowing days, this medical worker returned home, not to rest, but to compile a staggering 11 gigabytes of X-rays, CT scans, and medical records. These crucial files were later sent to us via an encrypted messaging app. His stark message accompanied the data: “They want to sweep it under the rug.”

These images, provided by a medical worker in Rasht, offer undeniable proof of the violence.

The Staggering Death Toll: Beyond Official Narratives

Verifying the exact number of protesters killed by Iranian security forces is challenging, yet available data suggests an immense scale of loss. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports at least 6,800 protest-related deaths, with an additional 11,744 cases under investigation. Other estimates are even more dire. Payam Akhavan, a former United Nations war crimes prosecutor and co-founder of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, believes the death toll could reach tens of thousands, based on a network of doctors collecting hospital records and the widespread nature of the killings.

“This is not just the worst mass killing in the contemporary history of Iran,” Mr. Akhavan stated. “It is one of the worst mass killings in contemporary world history.”

In stark contrast, Iranian officials claimed 3,117 deaths, attributing them to civilians, security personnel, and “terrorists.” The regime’s attempt to obscure the true scale of the crackdown was heavily aided by the near-total internet and phone blackout imposed on January 8th, which lasted for weeks.

A Deliberate Campaign of Violence: Evidence from the Frontlines

Beyond the digital silence, the regime actively sought to silence those best positioned to expose the carnage: Iran’s frontline medical workers. In the days following the bloodshed, which peaked on January 8th and 9th, we contacted dozens of doctors and nurses across the country. Many were already discreetly documenting the atrocities they witnessed while providing aid to demonstrators.

Collaborating with Times Opinion and leveraging contacts within the Iranian diaspora and inside Iran, we surveyed 40 medical professionals across 14 cities and 11 provinces. Their identities have been verified but withheld to protect them from retaliation. Their accounts, from trauma surgeons to emergency physicians across diverse regions, consistently detail a sharp escalation in the authorities’ use of lethal force, including live ammunition and military-grade weapons, particularly on the evening of January 8th.

This mounting evidence corroborates reports from witnesses and human rights groups: the slaughter of unarmed protesters by the Iranian regime was not lawful policing but a massacre, demanding international recognition and action.

Children in the Crosshairs: Stories of Unthinkable Loss

Among the most harrowing accounts received from doctors and nurses were those involving children under 18, injured or killed. The youngest victim was a newborn.

“A breastfeeding mother was holding her baby when security forces opened fire on their car,” a doctor from South Tehran shared. “They arrived at the hospital in that same vehicle, riddled with bullets. The bullet passed through the baby’s hand and into the mother’s chest.”

From Isfahan, a nurse conveyed the testimony of a father desperately trying to save his teenage son: “We had gone to the streets to protest. The officers attacked my son, targeting his head and neck with a pellet gun. I begged the riot police to stop. But before my own eyes, they fired the final shot — a live bullet — into his head.” The boy died shortly after reaching the hospital. His mother, who described him as “a calm, social and well-mannered boy” who loved soccer, said they buried him under the watchful eyes of security forces. She wants him “to be remembered as a hero, brave, with a pure and kind heart, and full of love for life.”

According to Shiva Amelirad, representing a network of teachers’ unions in Iran, at least 209 children were killed in the protests. This conservative estimate is based on medical evidence and confirmations from relatives and teachers, with more cases under investigation. Ms. Amelirad noted a “consistent pattern in many documented cases indicating that children were shot in the head.”

Courage Under Threat: Doctors and Nurses Defy the Regime

Many medical professionals went to extraordinary lengths to shield their patients from identification by authorities, fearing abduction or death. They falsified medical records, erased security camera footage, or even treated protesters in private homes. Such actions placed the medical workers themselves in grave danger.

Numerous reports detail threats, interrogations, and summons from authorities. Several recounted colleagues being detained. Homa Fathi, from the International Independent Physicians and Healthcare Providers Association, confirmed that dozens of healthcare providers in Iran are incarcerated. “Health care workers in Iran have been killed, arrested and tortured,” she stated. “Many of them are facing harsh trials, prison sentences and a ban on their license just because they tried to help the injured.”

One Tehran doctor, who had previously spoken publicly about regime pressure on medical staff, was warned by security agents that silence was his only option or he would be sent “to the cemetery.” Days later, his family confirmed his arrest.

The psychological toll is immense. Some doctors were too traumatized to participate in our survey. Those who did reported severe distress, including nightmares, flashbacks, grief, anger, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation.

A Plea for Justice: The World Must Act

Confronted with such profound injustice, these medical professionals feel they have no choice but to appeal to the international community for protection – for themselves, their patients, and all Iranians seeking basic freedoms. They implore global assistance to prevent such atrocities from recurring.

So far, the international response has been largely insufficient in imposing consequences for these crimes. While former President Trump once spoke of regime change and amassed U.S. forces, raising the possibility of military action, the White House has continued negotiations with Iran’s leaders over their nuclear program. This perceived indifference has left many Iranians, including the medical providers we spoke with, feeling betrayed.

“This regime must end, and the blood of so many young people must not be trampled,” a surgical nurse in Isfahan passionately wrote in response to our survey. “The world must not reach agreements with this regime and must help the people of Iran overthrow it.”

A deep fear of impunity resonated through many testimonies. A Tehran doctor warned that without accountability, “any dictator could rise and kill as many as it takes to keep control.” The undeniable fact that the Iranian regime has committed a massacre demands a robust international response.

Pathways to Accountability: What Can Be Done

Accountability for these crimes could involve concrete measures such as choking off the Iranian regime’s oil revenues, primarily from sales to China, which fund repression. It could also include asset freezes and the expulsion of Iranian ambassadors. The European Union’s recent designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, following the United States, should be mirrored by other nations.

International bodies, like the UN fact-finding mission on Iran, must secure and preserve survivor accounts and medical evidence for human rights prosecutions under international law. They must also advocate for the protection of Iranian medical workers and ensure safe access to healthcare for patients.

HRANA reports nearly 54,000 Iranian demonstrators arrested. Detainees often face overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, lack access to lawyers, and are threatened with torture. Dozens face charges carrying the death penalty. Karen Kramer, deputy director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, expressed deep concern over protesters held in unofficial “black box” sites, where they face severe risks of physical and sexual abuse and death. Governments must increase pressure on Iran to immediately release detained demonstrators and medical providers and prevent further deaths in state custody.

“If this regime remains, the true number of those killed will become many times higher,” the surgical nurse from Isfahan concluded. “Every night I fall asleep hoping for the freedom of my Iran.”

These doctors and nurses chose to speak out, risking everything over the safety of silence. Their collective plea is clear: the world must not look away from the horrific reality that the Iranian regime has committed a massacre against its own people.

Learn more about how these reports were gathered from Iran’s medical workers in avideo here.