Bulldozers moved piles of bodies of those killed in the Gohardasht district of Karaj during the January crackdown on nationwide protests, in what witnesses describe as a deliberate attempt to instill fear after corpses were stacked in public squares.
A resident of Gohardasht told Iran International that on the nights of January 8 and 9, large numbers of armed forces were lying in ambush in alleyways as heavy gunfire echoed through the area.
According to the witness, teenagers struck in the head and face by pellet rounds sought refuge inside residential buildings. The resident said at least 16 people were killed in the alley where he lives, adding that security forces also fired at the doors of apartment buildings.
Another eyewitness said that around a nearby hospital, injured women with severe facial wounds were seen seeking help. On Dariush Street, he said, a DShK heavy machine gun was deployed and crowds were sprayed with gunfire.
He said that at the First Square of Gohardasht, bodies were piled on top of each other to create an atmosphere of terror before being moved away with bulldozers.
The witness said the bodies were collected around midnight on January 8, but freezing temperatures left congealed blood visible on the ground. The following night, January 9, the killings intensified, he added.
