Reports of Artists Killed by Iranian Regime Draw Outrage and Grief

"As accounts emerge from Iran's deadly crackdown on dissent this month, reports that government forces have shot and killed artists, including sculptor Mehdi Salahshour and filmmaker Javad Ganji, have added to growing international outrage. Amid an ongoing state-initiated internet blackout in Iran, reporters and human rights groups are scrambling to account for the number of protesters killed and arrested by the Iranian regime since opposition demonstrations began in December."

"According to eyewitness reports, government forces have shot indiscriminately at protesters, killingover 2,400 protesters, estimated by the United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The group also reported that forces arrested 18,137 people as part of the crackdown. Salahshour, a 50-year-old sculptor and father, and Ganji, a 39-year-old television and film director, were among those massacred, according to the Norway-based Iranian Kurdish Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Ganji's killing was also confirmed by the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA), as reported by ."

Iranian security forces have carried out a nationwide crackdown on protests that began in December, accompanied by a state-initiated internet blackout that hampers reporting. Eyewitnesses and human rights groups report indiscriminate shooting, with the Human Rights Activists News Agency estimating over 2,400 protesters killed and 18,137 arrested. The Norway-based Hengaw Organization reports that sculptor Mehdi Salahshour, 50, was killed by direct fire from a Kalashnikov in Mashhad on January 8. Filmmaker Javad Ganji, 39, is also reported killed and his death was confirmed by the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association. Demonstrations have spread across all 31 provinces amid anger over inflation and theocratic rule.

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