More than 200 protesters killed by gunfire in Iran’s capital.
More than 200 protesters were killed in a single night in Iran’s capital Tehran alone during the ongoing protests, according to the influential US magazine Time.
The movement intensified on Thursday night. At that time, protesters became violent. In response, security forces opened heavy fire.
In a report published on Friday (January 9), Time magazine stated that a doctor from Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed them that records show the deaths of 206 protesters in only six hospitals in Tehran. Most of them were killed by gunfire.
The magazine said that if the death toll is confirmed, it would indicate that the Iranian government has taken a hardline stance to suppress the protesters. This would also mean ignoring a warning from US President Donald Trump, who had threatened that if Iran kills protesters, the Khamenei government would have to pay a heavy price.
The movement, which began on December 28, has so far spread to 31 cities. After the intense protests on Thursday night, thousands of people again gathered in Tehran and other places on Friday night.
The doctor told Time magazine that the bodies were removed from the hospitals on Friday. He said that protesters were subjected to machine-gun brushfire outside a police station in northern Tehran. At least 30 people were shot there. Most of those killed were young people, the doctor said.
However, Time magazine reported that it could not independently verify the number of casualties.
