A Massacre in Mashhad

"On a recent January evening, throngs of Iranian protesters filed up wide boulevards spanning the northeastern city of Mashhad. Within hours, the highways and footbridges were packed with people, including young children trailing their mothers and grandparents. Most wore masks and dark clothing. As the crowds thickened, police tried to disperse the swell of people with tear gas. Around 8 P.M., internet service was cut, and, soon after, security forces started shooting into the demonstrations."

"The massacre in Mashhad unfolded on January 8th, after Iranians across the country went out to protest the regime-the culmination of a movement that had convulsed the country for nearly two weeks, following the collapse of the economy. Under the cover of a nationwide internet blackout, security forces used lethal weapons to target demonstrators from rooftops, bridges, and building complexes."

On January 8th in Mashhad, large crowds of protesters filled wide boulevards, highways, and footbridges, including children and elderly participants. Police deployed tear gas, then internet service was cut at about 8 P.M., after which security forces began shooting into demonstrations from rooftops, bridges, and building complexes. Many protesters crawled to escape gunfire; others bled to death on sidewalks or while being carried by strangers. Over several nights corpses were piled in parks and hospitals and injured people were treated in alleyways or by doctors in makeshift home clinics. A pediatric hospital reported transporting more than one hundred fifty corpses from its emergency ward.

Read at The New Yorker