Warning: The following story contains graphic details of violence which some readers might find upsetting.
A BBC News Persian analysis of hundreds of videos and photographs taken during recent protests in Iran confirms the security forces' use of a wide range of weaponry, including machine guns, sniper rifles, and shotguns.
Protesters have reportedly been killed in over 200 cities where protests have occurred. While the exact death toll remains uncertain, the deployment of brutal weapons shown in photographs and reports from human rights groups indicate that thousands have been killed across the country.
The crackdown, which began over economic grievances, escalated rapidly and has been characterized by a level of violence unprecedented in modern Iranian history. Payam Akhavan, a former UN prosecutor, described the current situation as the largest mass killing in contemporary Iranian history and one of the largest in the world.
The Iranian government has attributed the violence to rioters and terrorists, but analysis of the security forces' armaments reveals a variety of weapons used against civilians, including:
Numerous eye-witness accounts and video evidence confirm that sniper rifles were widely employed during the January protests, with verified footage showing security personnel using these lethal weapons against dissenters. Reports of injured protesters from the use of shotguns are alarming, as the violence has resulted in permanent injuries, particularly to the eyes.
With the use of handguns and even hand-to-hand weapons like machetes, the brutality of these confrontations is brought into stark relief, highlighting the dire state of human rights and governmental conduct in Iran today.
A BBC News Persian analysis of hundreds of videos and photographs taken during recent protests in Iran confirms the security forces' use of a wide range of weaponry, including machine guns, sniper rifles, and shotguns.
Protesters have reportedly been killed in over 200 cities where protests have occurred. While the exact death toll remains uncertain, the deployment of brutal weapons shown in photographs and reports from human rights groups indicate that thousands have been killed across the country.
The crackdown, which began over economic grievances, escalated rapidly and has been characterized by a level of violence unprecedented in modern Iranian history. Payam Akhavan, a former UN prosecutor, described the current situation as the largest mass killing in contemporary Iranian history and one of the largest in the world.
The Iranian government has attributed the violence to rioters and terrorists, but analysis of the security forces' armaments reveals a variety of weapons used against civilians, including:
- Machine guns
- Sniper rifles
- Assault rifles
- Shotguns
- Handguns
- Pellet-firing paintball guns
- Tear gas
- Machetes
- Knives
- Batons
- Large wooden clubs
- Green laser sights and pointers (for blinding and targeting)
Numerous eye-witness accounts and video evidence confirm that sniper rifles were widely employed during the January protests, with verified footage showing security personnel using these lethal weapons against dissenters. Reports of injured protesters from the use of shotguns are alarming, as the violence has resulted in permanent injuries, particularly to the eyes.
With the use of handguns and even hand-to-hand weapons like machetes, the brutality of these confrontations is brought into stark relief, highlighting the dire state of human rights and governmental conduct in Iran today.
