Pro-government editors wiped Iran rights abuses from Wikipedia - watchdog

“I know it’s over,” Bolouri said, referring to the Islamic Republic. “I’m not afraid to say this openly, because I believe the regime will be a different regime.”

Bolouri, a 40-year-old Iranian Canadian, traveled to Iran in late December to visit family and was in Mashhad as protests erupted on January 8.

What she witnessed, she said, was unlike anything she had seen during earlier protest waves.

“It was the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen,” Bolouri said. “The crowd was so huge that I couldn’t even get to the front line.”

She described Vekilabad Boulevard, one of Mashhad’s largest and most prominent central avenues, filled shoulder to shoulder with demonstrators chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s deposed Shah.

The scale of the turnout initially made her feel safe, she said, despite the city’s reputation as a conservative stronghold and its symbolic closeness to Khamenei’s power base.

That sense of safety quickly evaporated as security forces moved in. Live gunfire and tear gas intensified as protesters pushed forward, with the gas becoming so thick it left people disoriented and unable to see.

She recalled being helped away by strangers after losing her vision and struggling to breathe amid the chaos.

What struck her most, she said, was the bravery of younger protesters who repeatedly surged toward security forces even as shots rang out.

“I am a brave person, but they are on a next-level brave,” she said. “Aren’t they afraid of their lives?”

As night fell, Iran’s internet was cut, severing communication and access to the outside world. Bolouri said she realized her messages were no longer sending and feared her parents would be unable to reach her.

“It’s a different city now,” she recalled telling her family once she was back home.

She described streets stripped of traffic signs and surveillance cameras, pulled down by protesters to block motorcycle units and avoid identification. Fires burned at sites linked to the security apparatus, including banks associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The damage, she said, was deliberate and defensive rather than random.

One moment, she said, stayed with her. An ambulance drove toward the crowd—the only vehicle moving against the flow. At first, she thought it was responding to a medical emergency.

“I was like, why is it coming this way?” Bolouri said. “Why wouldn’t it go around? The other streets were still open for cars.”

She soon realized that ambulances were being used to transport security forces. “That’s when it made sense,” she said.

Although she did not personally witness fatalities, Bolouri said she saw multiple injured protesters being carried away as gunfire flashed through clouds of tear gas.

She later learned from relatives that the violence intensified the following night.

Her uncle, who remained in Mashhad, told her that from early evening until nearly midnight, the sound of continuous gunfire echoed through residential neighborhoods.

“They were crying at home,” she said, describing how older family members panicked simply from the noise, aware that something terrible was unfolding outside.

Bolouri’s flight out of Iran was canceled, but she managed to leave via a domestic route to Istanbul. Her family believed she might not survive if she stayed another night.

Now back in Canada, she says the experience has left her unexpectedly hopeful. Comparing the protests she witnessed in Iran with rallies abroad, Bolouri said what stood out inside the country was unity and certainty.

“In Iran, there was no hesitation,” she said. “Everybody was on the same page.”

Despite the violence and mass killings, she believes the uprising marked a turning point.

The scale of participation, the open calls for regime change, and the willingness of protesters to face live fire convinced her that this movement had gone beyond anything she had previously witnessed.

Bolouri said she would normally avoid speaking publicly about her experience, out of concern for being able to return to Iran, but decided to speak out because she firmly believes the Islamic Republic is finished.

“This regime is dying. Essentially it’s fighting, it’s killing again, but it is also dying," said Petraeus, a retired four-star Army general who now runs the Middle East business of US private equity firm KKR.

“I think it signals enormous questions about the regime's ability to sustain the situation,” he said, arguing Tehran is under more pressure now than at almost any point since the Iran-Iraq war.

Speaking to host Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, Petraeus painted a stark picture of the clerical establishment facing simultaneous existential challenges at home and abroad.

“Iran is essentially defenseless at this point,” Petraeus said, referring to the destruction of air and ballistic missile defense systems early in a June conflict with Israel and the United States.

The veteran commander, who led the so-called "surge" of US forces aimed at defeating an insurgency at the height of the US war in Iraq, said the scale of violence used against demonstrators reflects fear rather than control by Iran's leaders.

While he acknowledged the Islamic Republic may be able to suppress unrest in the short term, he warned that flooding cities and towns with security forces may not buy authorities a lasting reprieve from popular anger.

“This regime has lost legitimacy. The problem is it hasn’t lost the capability to kill.”

His assessment comes as Iran grapples with sustained nationwide unrest that began on December 28 among electronics and cellphone merchants at Tehran’s bazaar and quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic.

At least 12,000 people were killed in just two days, according to medics and Iranian officials speaking to Iran International.

With the Iranian currency cratering, inflation climbing and purchasing power collapsing, Petraeus said Iran no longer has the financial tools it once used to calm the streets.

“At this time, there's not much Iran can do about it. They have very little capacity."

Asked about Trump's mooted pledge to intervene militarily to defend protestors, Petraeus stopped short of assessing the efficacy of any US attack but said the move would be well received and not bolster the leadership.

“I think we could take action against the regime and it would be applauded … not be a rallying cry for them.”

Street protests which burst forth on Dec. 28 citing economic grievances quickly morphed into calls for the downfall of the nearly 50-year-old theocracy.

Authorities deployed deadly force to largely quell the unrest in the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Accounts of the violence which unfolded on Iran's streets at its height on Jan. 8-10 were related to Iran International on Monday and shed light on killing which authorities have acknowledged claimed the lives of thousands but according to medics and government officials total at least 12,000, according to Iran International.

Karaj: wounded protestors shot in Taleghani Square

In Karaj, west of Tehran in north-central Iran, an eyewitness said security forces fired directly at protesters during demonstrations on Jan. 9 in Taleghani Square, killing and wounding a number of people.

The witness said forces deliberately shot dead some wounded protesters and blocked others from reaching hospitals.

Gorgan and Shahin Shahr: snipers on rooftops

In Gorgan, in northeastern Iran, an eyewitness said security forces fired at protesters from the rooftop of Panj Azar Hospital on Jan. 9, adding that a 15-year-old girl was directly targeted and killed.

Separate eyewitness accounts from Shahin Shahr, in Isfahan province in central Iran, said armed forces fired at protesters from the rooftops of public buildings, including a haberdashery bazaar, the education department building, the municipality and the Negarestan building on the nights of Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.

Qazvin: hospitals filled with bodies and wounded

In Qazvin, in northwest Iran, an eyewitness said more than 1,000 people were killed in the city over three nights of protests from Jan. 8 to Jan. 10.

The witness said hospitals were filled with bodies and wounded people within two hours of direct gunfire by security forces on the evening of Jan. 8, adding that the blood on the floors of some medical centers lapped up to exit doors.

Behbahan: eye injuries, machine gun deployment

At least 40 people, and possibly up to 50, suffered eye injuries, a medical worker in Behbahan, in Khuzestan province in southwest Iran, told Iran Iran International. Use of buckshot which has blinded protestors has been reported in previous waves of deadly violence.

The source said vehicles equipped with machine guns were stationed in the city and fired at people on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.

Hashtgerd: young child shot on sight

In Hashtgerd, west of Tehran in Alborz province, police fired on a family accompanied by a young child on Friday, Jan. 9, a local source told Iran International.

According to the source, a six- or seven-year-old child was seriously injured and suffered heavy bleeding after being hit in the leg by pellets.

The child’s mother said the family was not chanting slogans while leaving their home, but police opened fire as soon as they saw them, according to the source.

Shahroud: protestor shot through the heart

A 31-year-old protester identified as Matin Montazerzohur was killed after being shot by security forces on the evening of Jan. 8 during protests in the city of Shahroud, in northeastern Iran, local sources told Iran International.

Eyewitnesses said he had travelled from Gorgan to Shahroud with friends to take part in the protests and remained in contact with his family until around 8 p.m.

Hours later, his friends informed his family that he had been shot.

The source said the bullet struck him in the chest and ripped through his heart.

His body was returned to his family after four days, on Jan. 12, and transferred to Gorgan. He was buried the following day without a ceremony. Sources said he was self-employed, worked in bodybuilding and had planned to migrate to Turkey.

Isfahan: summonses and pressure on striking shopkeepers

In Isfahan, in central Iran, local sources told Iran International said the Revolutionary Guards intelligence unit summoned shopkeepers who joined strikes and blocked the bank accounts of some of them.

A Telegram-based chatbot run by Iran International allows users to submit short messages that may be aired on television, defying the blackout.

The chatbot was launched in late December, shortly before protests spread across Iranian cities and was meant to collect photos, videos and testimonials from people inside Iran. Now the information is flowing in the other direction.

Before the shutdown, the network said it was receiving more than 10 messages a minute from users inside Iran, many of them sending videos and first-hand accounts of protests and arrests.

The tool was a key means of relaying events inside Iran to the outside world, as foreign media continue to face tight restrictions on reporting from the country and the internet shutdown which began on January 8 largely cut off that flow of information.

A tool repurposed

With most global websites blocked, social media unavailable and SMS messaging down, many people inside Iran have little or no access to the internet. Some can still make international phone calls, but the connections are unstable and expensive.

People outside Iran are mostly unable to call into the country at all.

As a result, families abroad have begun using the chatbot to send short personal messages, hoping their relatives inside the country will see them on the satellite broadcasts which are one of the few means of getting information from outside.

The network displays a QR code during live programs. Viewers outside Iran can scan it or use the Telegram handle @intlmedia_bot to submit messages, some of which are then shown on air.

Since the shutdown began, the chatbot has received more than 60,000 messages, according to the broadcaster.

How the system works

The network said it has long relied on staff to review and verify user-submitted material, but introduced automated tools to help manage the growing volume of messages.

Mahdi Tajik, an editorial lead at Iran International, said the system does not store personal data, an issue that many users worry about during periods of unrest.

Tajik said the idea of using the chatbot to relay family messages emerged after the internet shutdown cut off millions of Iranians abroad from their relatives.

“Within a day, hundreds of messages came in,” he said. “Many people were worried about their families. Many spoke about hope and about freedom being near.”

Some users inside Iran who managed to briefly connect to the internet told the network that seeing the messages had given them comfort, he added.

'My dear husband ...'

Many of the notes are addressed clearly to specific people, often including names, cities and family details.

“My dear husband, Shabnam and I are fine. I hope you are well in Behbahan,” one message read.

Another said: “Marjan from New Zealand ... I hope you are okay. I found no way to reach you. I hope you see this message.”

A third listed several names: “Hello to Parvin, Giti, Fereshteh, Farzaneh, Houshang, Mohsen, Alireza. I am worried about you all. I hope for our beloved Iran and to see you again. Mohammad, Canada.”

Another woman wrote: “Sister Leila, my beautiful Helia and Helena. I love you so much. I am very worried about you and miss you. Take care of yourselves and our whole family. Parinaz from San Diego.”

Editors say many of the notes come from people whose spouses, parents or children are inside Iran with no way to communicate.

The messages often focus on reassuring loved ones rather than grim news events.

Pressure on access

Satellite television remains one of the few ways information can still enter Iran. Authorities, however, have sought to limit access in some areas, including by seizing satellite dishes, according to people familiar with the situation.

At the same time, Iranians abroad have taken to the streets in cities across Europe, North America and Australia to show support for protesters at home, holding rallies and vigils and calling for international pressure on Tehran.

The messages sent through the chatbot do not allow two-way communication, and there is no guarantee they will be seen by their intended recipients.

Still, for families separated by borders and the internet shutdown, they offer one of the few remaining ways to penetrate the current digital iron curtain.

MTN Irancell failed to promptly enforce authorities’ shutdown orders as demonstrations spread, Iranian media reported.

Alireza Rafiei was dismissed after about a year in the job because he “disobeyed orders from security bodies and violated issued regulations under crisis conditions” to restrict internet access during the uprising, IRGC-linked Fars news agency said.

The move could signal “defections at the most senior levels” of the government, Mehdi Saremifar, a science and technology journalist, told Iran International.

The dismissal followed remarks by MP Hamid Rasaei, who criticized what he described as a delay in shutting down the internet during a parliament session on Monday.

Iran cut off communications nationwide on January 8 without warning as calls intensified for anti-government protests across the country.

“While it was clear that riots were about to start and despite a request by the supreme national security council, why was the Internet shut down with delay and at 10:00 pm?” Rasaei said. “If some people had not refused, the losses and casualties would not have reached this level.”

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  At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown during internet blackout

Iran’s authorities have faced sustained criticism from activists, rights groups and some foreign governments for cutting or throttling internet access during protests, a tactic critics say hampers organizing, documentation of abuses and communication with the outside world.

Officials have framed restrictions as necessary for security and public order, while critics say shutdowns isolate communities and heighten risks for protesters during periods of violence and mass arrests.

On Monday, internet monitor NetBlocks said Iran’s nationwide blackout has entered its twelfth day, with national connectivity still at minimal levels.

“In recent days, the filternet has occasionally allowed messages through, suggesting that the regime is testing a more heavily filtered intranet,” NetBlocks added.