A football referee and a student are among hundreds of people reportedly killed during the massive anti-government protests in Iran.
Coach Amir Mohammad Koohkan, 26, was hit by live ammunition on 3 January during protests in the town of Neyriz, his friend told BBC Persian.
“Everyone knew him for his kindness”, they said, adding his family is grieving and “angry because he was killed by the regime”.
Koohkan was killed in Neyriz in south-west Fars Province, his friend told BBC Persian. The friend did not witness the incident firsthand, but heard from eyewitnesses at the scene.
“It was far too soon for him,” the friend said, adding that Koohkan was “someone who didn’t like to see people in this state… in this misery”.
Five days later, student Rubina Aminian, 23, was shot from behind during a protest in Tehran, according to human rights groups. “She fought for things she knew were right”, her uncle told CNN.
Aminian was shot from behind while taking part in a protest on Thursday, according to three rights groups.
Two groups – Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and Kurdish organisation Hengaw – said she was shot in the head, while the Kurdistan Human Rights Network said she was shot in the back. Both Kurdish groups said she was shot by government forces.
The BBC has been unable to independently verify the circumstances of her death.
The 23-year-old, whose first name has also been spelled Robina or Roubina, was studying textile and fashion at Shariati Technical and Vocational College in Tehran, IHRNGO said.
She was “thirsty for freedom, thirsty for women’s rights,” her uncle said.
‘Death to Khamenei’ chanted at Tehran funeral
Among the many hundreds of videos of protests BBC Verify and BBC Persian have reviewed, one piece of footage shows a protest happening at a funeral in a Tehran mortuary.
This video, which first was first posted on Telegram at 00:45 local time (20:45 GMT) on Sunday, shows mourners at the Behesht-Zahra Mortuary, 20km (12 miles) south of the centre of Tehran, crying for “bravery” while they carry a casket.
Much of the video was blurred to anonymise people at the funeral, but we have been able to verify the mortuary where the ceremony took place by matching images of it – in particular its atrium – to those on Google Photos.
By reverse searching frames from the video we found no earlier copies cached online before Sunday.
Usually this ceremony would include calls of “There is no God but Allah”, but in this video we can hear chants of “death to Khamenei” – the Supreme Leader of Iran.
These protests began just over two weeks ago with shopkeepers – often called the backbone of support for the Islamic Republic – in Tehran angry about the collapsing currency.
The demonstrations then spread to students and street protests in several cities across the country.
Based on videos, these are the biggest protests seen since 2022, and the anger isn’t just about economic issues. Protesters have been chanting slogans against the entire clerical leadership and the supreme leader.
Iran has faced a mix of recent problems – economic crisis, political repression, social unrest, and international tension over its nuclear and ballistic missile programme.
The leadership has been cracking down on protests for years. Security forces are often ready to act, and authorities can quickly close banks, schools and public institutions, while tightly controlling the state media narrative.
Officials increasingly blame those considered foreign enemies – especially the US and Israel – as they try to contain the unrest.
With the internet outage, most information coming out of Iran right now is from state media and officials.
‘Swift and harsh’ punishment for protesters, Iran’s judiciary chief vows
Iran’s judiciary chief has doubled down on threats of “swift and harsh” punishment for those involved in the protests, warning courts to show no leniency towards what he calls “rioters”.
Speaking at a meeting with senior judicial officials this morning, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei urges prosecutors to work closely with intelligence agencies so cases are handled “as swiftly as possible”.
The judiciary chief again accuses protesters of being backed by the US and Israel, which he describes as “the main perpetrators of these violent and terroristic acts”.
- As a reminder, last week he told police commanders that “rioters” would face “rapid” prosecution and punishment in order to serve as a deterrent
The remarks come amid escalating warnings from Iran’s security establishment since 9 January, including an unprecedented warning by Iran’s General Prosecutor Mohammad Kazem Movahedi-Azad.
He said on 10 January that “all rioters” could face the the charge of moharebeh – waging war against God – an offence punishable by death, and one used in previous rounds of protests to issue death penalties for some alleged armed protesters.
‘This grief shouldn’t stay hidden’, says Iranian using Starlink internet
There has been an internet blackout in Iran since Thursday. But some people are able to get online via the Starlink satellite service – although as we reported earlier, there are fears users could be traced by the government.
I have been chatting with someone within Iran who is connected via Starlink.
They tell me it seems like the authorities are trying to clamp down on those who are using the service, by disrupting the connection.
“What will the authorities do if they find out you’re connected right now?” I ask.
They reply: “I don’t even want to think about it. The thought scares me. I could be accused of espionage.”
That’s an accusation that could potentially carry the death sentence.
“Why are you doing this then?” I ask.
“This grief and fury shouldn’t stay hidden,” they reply. “The world should know what’s happening to us inside.”
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
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