Massacre Under Digital Darkness: Iran's Youth and Women Die Defying the Regime
As masked militias fire into homes and families pay 'bullet money' for bodies, Starlink breaks through the blackout to reveal the scale of the killing. The spirit of Woman, Life, Freedom lives on.
Iranian security forces have killed thousands of protesters under the cover of a near-total internet blackout, with videos emerging of masked militias firing into homes while chanting loyalty to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Rights groups estimate between 12,000 and 16,500 people have been killed since protests erupted on 28 December over Iran's collapsing currency. The regime imposed a communications shutdown on 8 January, severing 92 million people from the outside world in what experts call one of the most severe internet blackouts ever recorded.
Massacre Under Digital Darkness
Verified footage shows armed men in civilian clothing, their faces covered, firing directly into residential buildings while shouting religious slogans. Unlike previous crackdowns, the security forces appear to include foreign militias. Reports indicate the presence of Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Afghan fighters brought in to suppress the uprising.
A UN fact-finding mission said it was alarmed by credible reports that security forces had been ordered to carry out a decisive crackdown without restraint.
Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi warned of a potential massacre under the cover of a sweeping communications blackout.
The Young Who Gave Everything
The human cost becomes clear in individual stories. Borna Dehghani, 18, told his parents when they urged him not to join the protests: "If I don't go, nothing will change." He was shot dead by regime forces.
Another protester, dubbed "Iran's Hodor" after the Game of Thrones character, became a symbol of resistance after footage showed him pressing his body against a door, holding back security forces for precious seconds so others could escape. He was killed shortly after.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, over 18,400 people have been arrested. Tehran prosecutors announced that an undeclared number would be charged with "moharebeh", or waging war against God, an offence punishable by death.
One particularly grim practice has emerged: families are reportedly forced to pay around 700 million tomans (approximately 5,000 US dollars) in so-called "bullet money" to receive their loved ones' bodies for burial.
Women at the Front
The protests carry the spirit of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. Women are leading chants in the streets, defiantly walking without hijabs despite harsh penalties, and burning headscarves around bonfires while mixed crowds cheer.
Videos circulating on social media show young women lighting cigarettes on burning portraits of Ali Khamenei, rejecting both his political authority and the social restrictions imposed on women in a single defiant gesture.
According to Radio Free Europe, Iran's streets have been transformed as more women abandon the mandatory hijab.
Starlink Breaks Through
The regime's attempt at total information control has been partially thwarted by Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet service. Despite being illegal in Iran, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people use the system.
NPR reports that videos of the crackdown have slowly emerged thanks to Starlink connections, though authorities have deployed military-grade GPS jammers that cut satellite internet performance by as much as 80 percent in parts of the country.
Iranian authorities claim they have disabled 40,000 Starlink connections during the blackout.
Europe's Response
The EU has already moved to ban Iranian diplomats and prepare new sanctions, but activists are calling for more decisive action.
Amnesty International has demanded global diplomatic action to end impunity, warning that the massacre of protesters cannot go unanswered.
The presence of foreign militias raises questions about Iran's regional alliances and suggests the regime may lack sufficient domestic support to suppress its own people. For Europe, which has long pursued diplomatic engagement with Tehran, the images emerging from Iran present an uncomfortable test of values.
As protests spread to all 31 Iranian provinces and more than 180 cities, one phrase echoes from those risking everything: "If I don't go, nothing will change."
January 21, 2026