Tehran, Iran – Field reports and local media reported that a number of protesters were killed and wounded in the city of Malekshahi in Ilam province, after government forces used live ammunition to disperse protest marches that took place on Saturday, January 4.
Live ammunition and chants against the regime
Social media platforms circulated videos and photos showing angry crowds in Malekshahi chanting political slogans demanding the regime’s downfall, including “Death to Khamenei.” Eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces confronted the protesters with live fire, resulting in casualties among the demonstrators.
Conflicting reports on the number of victims
While unconfirmed reports from human rights sources indicate that at least five protesters were killed, media outlets affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard confirmed fatalities:
The Fars News Agency confirmed that at least three people were killed and others sustained varying degrees of injury.
The Tasnim news agency acknowledged the deaths of what it described as “rioters,” and announced the killing of a government official named Latif Karimi during the violent clashes in the city.
Outrage outside hospitals
Videos from inside Malekshahi showed large numbers of victims’ relatives and citizens gathering in front of and inside local hospitals, amid a state of extreme tension to follow the condition of the injured who were transferred for treatment.
These bloody developments on the ground come at a time when the wave of protests that began with a strike in Tehran’s markets and major cities in protest against the economic collapse and the rising price of the dollar is escalating, before quickly turning into a comprehensive political uprising joined by various nationalities and social groups throughout Iran.
