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IRAN - Eyewitness Accounts: Direct Fire and Mass Arrests in Khuzestan
April 12, 2026: April 12, 2026 - IRAN. Eyewitness Accounts: Direct Fire and Mass Arrests in Khuzestan
The crackdown on the January protests in Khuzestan was not only widespread but also followed clear patterns, including direct fire with intent to kill, killing of the wounded, mass arrests, forced confessions, and systematic pressure on families.
Information received from informed sources and eyewitnesses indicates that during the January 2026 protests in Khuzestan province, security and military forces targeted protesters using live ammunition and direct fire. The crackdown in cities including Ahvaz, Dezful, Izeh, Andimeshk and Baghmalek followed recurring patterns such as shooting from rooftops and elevated positions, killing the wounded, denying some of the injured access to medical care, and carrying out widespread arrests even after the protests had ended. Reports received by IHRNGO also indicate that families have been pressured to remain silent and conceal information about those killed and arrested.
In the following, further details are provided on how the crackdown was carried out in different cities across Khuzestan, based on field reports that shed more light on its scale and methods.
Use of War Weapons with Intent to Kill Protesters
Multiple sources indicate that security and military forces used war weapons with the intent to kill people who had taken to the streets, rather than to control the protesting crowds.
An eyewitness from Ahvaz told IHRNGO that on 8 and 9 January, large numbers of people from across the city moved toward Naderi Junction: “On the evening of 8 January, the crowd was in the hundreds of thousands, to the point that we felt we had taken over the city. Gunfire could be heard, but due to the size of the crowd, it was not clear where it was coming from.”
The eyewitness said that on those two days, security forces directly targeted protesters with live fire, killing and injuring a number of them. According to the witness, the highest number of fatalities occurred in areas such as Naderi Junction and Bahonar. “On 9 January, in the Bahonar area, where most of the protesters were Bakhtiari, they resisted Basij forces and other agents, which led to physical clashes. Security forces began shooting from rooftops, and many protesters were killed.”
According to Zagros Rashidi, a Dezful native living abroad, Morteza Jahangiri was among the protesters killed by government forces. He also reported large gatherings in various parts of Dezful, including Fath-ol-Mobin Boulevard, Shariati Junction, Khomeini Street and Saat Square: “In many of these areas, protesters were directly shot at.” He added: “Among those who were shooting, there were also clerics.”
Erfan Kordi, a Dezful citizen living in Europe, told IHRNGO that IRGC, Basij and police forces in Dezful first used tear gas and then opened fire with war weapons, including Kalashnikovs: “IRGC and Basij forces, in cooperation with local police stations, began firing at people from the entrance of Hamzeh Township, first with tear gas and then with firearms.”
According to him, protests in Andimeshk began on 5 January, with people gathering on the road to the Dez Dam, and reached their peak on 8 and 9 January.
Hamed Orek, a native of Izeh living in Germany, told IHRNGO that protests in Izeh began on 30 December 2025, intensified on 8 and 9 January, and were met with direct fire against protesters.
Shooting from Elevated Positions and Creating Deadly Traps
One of the recurring patterns of repression in the province was the deployment of forces in elevated positions and targeting crowds from rooftops and buildings.
Zagros Rashidi reported the presence of snipers and direct fire at protesters on the night of 9 January Citing eyewitnesses, he told IHRNGO: “From rooftops and alleyways, they opened fire on people in Dezful.”
He also referred to the use of Dragunov rifles (semi-automatic sniper rifles), which forces used to shoot at people from the rooftop of the Siah-Poosh store. According to him, some of these forces spoke Arabic, while Persian-speaking agents directed them.
Hamed Orek also said: “At the Red Crescent junction, forces were firing at people from the top of the Red Crescent building. As a result, people set the Red Crescent building on fire, and several banks were also burned. Several people were killed and injured, and there is no information available about the condition of the wounded.”
According to Erfan Kordi, authorities had deployed forces from Ahvaz to Andimeshk to suppress the protests: “On 8 and 9 January, large crowds gathered in Imam Square in Andimeshk. Security forces blocked all routes, leaving no escape for people. Several were killed, injured and arrested on the spot.”
Widespread Killings and Execution-Style Shootings of the Wounded
Evidence indicates that the killing of protesters was not limited to street clashes and, in some cases, continued afterward, with security forces killing some of the wounded after their transfer or in medical centres.
In Ahvaz, on 9 January, a young man climbed onto the shoulders of the crowd, raised the Lion and Sun flag atop Javad al-Aemeh Mosque, and saluted the people. According to an eyewitness from Ahvaz, the act was met with enthusiasm: “But immediately after he came down, security forces violently arrested him. His identity and fate remain unknown.”
In this regard, Zagros Rashidi said about the events in Dezful: “Many of the wounded were later killed in hospital with execution-style shots, and some are still being pursued. Many families of those killed remain under pressure from security institutions and have not disclosed information about their relatives.”
He also reported the abduction and killing of the wounded: “Security forces abducted some of the injured and killed them with execution-style shots.”
According to him, citing eyewitnesses, at least 70 bodies were lying on the ground in front of the Sabzghaba Shrine, and dozens more were killed and injured in the Chaharrah Ghazi area: “The city had turned into a hell of fire and gunpowder. It seemed that orders had been given to kill protesters, not to arrest them.”
An eyewitness from Dezful told IHRNGO: “A nurse told me that by the end of the night of 9 January, he alone had covered 50 bodies of those killed.”
Siege of Hospitals and Execution-Style Killings of the Wounded
In addition to the killings, numerous cases of severe violence, inhuman treatment, and even execution-style shootings of the wounded have been reported.
An eyewitness from Baghmalek told IHRNGO: “Security forces held a stun gun under the throat of a 17-year-old boy for so long that he went into convulsions and collapsed. People took him to hospital while he was in a coma. Security forces had surrounded the hospital, but the family managed to take him out, and he is still being treated in hiding.”
According to the same source, protesters in the city resisted armed forces with bare hands and stones, even building makeshift barricades.
Reports also indicate that some of the wounded were denied admission to medical centres, and in some cases, after being transferred, were subjected to threats, pursuit, or even execution-style shootings.
The eyewitness from Ahvaz said: “Apart from a small number of hospitals, including the Khuzestan Water and Power Clinic and Imam Hospital, most medical centres admitted the wounded.”
Zagros Rashidi also said: “In Dezful, security forces abducted some of the wounded and killed them with execution-style shots. Some of the injured were treated at home with the help of surgeons.”
Continued Crackdown on Protesters After the Protests
The repression and pressure on protesters in Khuzestan continued even after the protests had ended. According to Erfan Kordi, house-to-house arrests began in Dezful on 9 January: “They arrested every man and boy they saw. They filmed people and later carried out arrests based on those videos.”
Zagros Rashidi, citing eyewitnesses, said: “Several hundred people in Dezful are under pursuit, and some detainees face charges such as possession of weapons or setting fire to the Sabzghaba Shrine.” According to him, given the context of the city, these charges may be fabricated and aimed at provoking religious sentiments.
He also noted that in some cases, detainees in Dezful were transferred to unofficial locations, including the basement of Hojat ibn al-Hassan Mosque on Bouali Street.
The eyewitness from Ahvaz said: “In Khuzestan province, more than four to five thousand people were arrested, and the number of those killed is very high. Because the region is ethnically interconnected and many are related, families’ only hope is to rely on these kinship ties to secure the release of their loved ones. At the same time, they are under severe pressure from security forces, which is why they refrain from speaking publicly about those killed, injured or arrested.”
In this context, Hamed Orek referred to the continued repression of protesters in Izeh after the protests: “Mass arrests have continued through the checking of CCTV footage. Families of detainees are pressured not to speak out, and in some cases, other family members are threatened with arrest to intensify the pressure.”
According to him, the forced confession of an 18-year-old protester from Izeh, Shadi Mousavi Rokati, along with footage of her presence at the protests, was broadcast by Fars News Agency.
Taken together, these accounts indicate that the crackdown on the January protests in Khuzestan was not only widespread but also followed clear patterns: the use of war weapons, direct fire with intent to kill, deployment of armed forces in elevated positions, killing of the wounded, mass arrests, forced confessions, and systematic pressure on families to conceal the truth.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8670/ (Source: IHR)
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