Doctors Report Heavy Death Toll as Iran Crackdown Intensifies Amid Internet Blackout

At least 16,500 protesters have been killed and around 330,000 injured during Iran’s ongoing unrest, according to a report compiled by doctors inside the country and cited by The Sunday Times. The figures come as a near-total internet blackout has made independent verification increasingly difficult.

The report, based on data gathered from a nationwide network of medical professionals, says many of the injured suffered gunshot wounds and severe eye trauma, with hundreds—possibly thousands—left permanently blind. Most of the deaths reportedly occurred over two days during what doctors described as the most violent phase of the crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history, with the majority of victims believed to be under the age of 30.

For the first time since the protests began three weeks ago, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged that “several thousands” had been killed, blaming the violence on protesters and what he called foreign enemies.

Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German eye surgeon and medical director of Munich MED, told The Sunday Times that the information was collected through doctors communicating via smuggled Starlink satellite connections after internet access was cut on January 8. He said security forces were using military-grade weapons, with hospitals treating gunshot and shrapnel injuries to the head, neck, and chest. According to Parasta, between 700 and 1,000 people have lost an eye.