A student, a bodybuilder and a father of three among those killed during protests in Iran
According to the head of Kurdistan’s judiciary, the detainees are accused of carrying out what authorities described as “sabotage activities” in several cities across the region.
In recent days, Iranian media have repeatedly described charges such as “leadership” of protests to many detainees. This follows a long-standing pattern in the Islamic Republic, where authorities build cases against arrested protesters by using charges such as “leading” demonstrations as a means of repression.
Human rights lawyers have repeatedly warned throughout the protests that fair trial standards are absent in Iran’s judicial system, fueling growing concern about the conditions and fate of those detained.
Under Iranian law, political detainees are denied the right to choose their own lawyer from the moment of arrest.
At the same time, state-affiliated outlets – including Iran’s state broadcaster and Tasnim, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – have aired forced confessions in recent days. Many of those shown are teenagers or very young people, and it remains unclear under what conditions the recordings were made.
Over the past several days, Iran’s judiciary has repeatedly threatened protesters, stressing that it will show “no leniency” toward what it calls “rioters.”
There is still no reliable information on how many people have been arrested during the protests, and with internet access completely cut for the past three days, the situation remains largely hidden from view.World
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on January 9, 2026. The nationwide protests started in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar against the failing economic policies in late December, which spread to universities and other cities, and included economic slogans, to political and anti-government ones.
Iranian protesters defy government crackdown
US President Donald Trump addresses the media during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on January 03, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump administration faces outrage over ICE shooting
According to CNN
- Eyewitnesses have reported violence on the streets of Iran as the country enters its third week of anti-government protests which have spread across all of its 31 provinces. Details are emerging about some of the Iranians killed in a brutal crackdown by security services against the demonstrators.
- US President Donald Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran following the deadly protests, two officials have told CNN. In a warning to the US, Iran’s parliamentary speaker said American military and commercial bases will be treated as targets for retaliation if Washington does intervene militarily.
- At least 490 protesters have been killed and more than 10,000 people arrested over the past 15 days, according to a US-based human rights group. Iran has now been offline for more than 72 hours after the authorities shut down internet access and telephone lines amid the turmoil.
At least 496 protesters killed in Iran, US-based rights group says
At least 496 protesters have been killed in Iran in more than two weeks of protests, a US-based rights group said on Sunday.
At least 10,681 people have been arrested according to a tally from Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s casualty numbers or arrest figures.
Iran declares three days of mourning to honor those killed in protests
The Iranian government has declared three days of mourning to honor those killed in what officials describe as recent acts of violence against the nation.
The announcement, made by the Cabinet on Sunday, pays tribute to what it called the “martyrs of the National Resistance Movement of Iranians against America and the Zionist regime,” according to Iran’s state-run television Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The Iranian people “closely experienced criminal terrorists launching ISIS-like urban violence” against civilians, Basij members, and security forces, resulting in many deaths, “a level of violence not seen until today,” IRIB added.
More than 100 members of Iran’s security forces have been killed since the start of protests, state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said Saturday.
At least 490 protesters have been killed and more than 10,000 people arrested over the past 15 days, according to the US-based human rights group HRANA.
CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s or Iran state media’s casualty numbers.
Iran summons British ambassador after the country’s flag was torn down at its embassy in London
From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper walks outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, January 6.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper walks outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, January 6. Toby Melville/Reuters
Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran on Sunday after a flag at its embassy in London was torn down by a protester, according to Iran’s state-run television Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The move also comes after British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the killing of Iranian protesters.
“The British Ambassador in Tehran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iran’s strong protest was conveyed to him,” IRIB said.
On Saturday, a protester was seen on video tearing down the Iranian flag from the country’s embassy in London and holding up Iran’s pre-revolution flag. In another video, the pre-revolution flag is seen hanging from the flagpole and a man standing in the balcony removing it as protesters chant insults at him.
In a post on X on Saturday, Cooper “urged the Iranian authorities to respect the fundamental rights of their people to take part in peaceful protests, without fear of violence or reprisal.”
42 min ago
Tehran resident says security forces fired pellets into her house
From CNN’s Hira Humayun
A resident in Tehran said security forces fired pellets into her house on Friday night.
The resident said she was outside her house when she saw security forces tase a girl in the neck. “Until the girl passed out, they did not let go,” she told CNN on the condition of anonymity out of security concerns.
The resident’s husband then pulled her into the house, after which security forces began firing pellets into her home. She told CNN that people she knew have been injured and killed.
Her sister’s father-in-law was hit by pellets 73 times. Her coworkers son, in his early 20s, was killed on Thursday, and the coworker was shot in the leg, the resident said.
Iran’s Interior Minister Eskander Momeni told state television on Saturday that “to an extent,” security personnel “exercise maximum restraint” to avoid harm to fellow citizens.
Iran calls for nationwide march Monday in support of the regime
From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq
Video from Iranian state media purports to show funerals for security personnel killed in recent days
00:47
Iran has called for a nationwide march on Monday in support of the regime and in opposition to what authorities described as recent acts of desecration and insults against Islamic symbols, including the Quran, by protesters.
The Islamic Propagation Coordination Council (IPCC) on Sunday urged the public to attend the march, scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. local time ( 5:30 a.m. ET), and encouraged participants to bring copies of the Quran, according to Iran’s state-run television, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
“This move is in response to recent insults to the Quran and Islamic sanctities and desecration by rioters and terrorists,” IRIB said.
The IPCC is one of the most powerful and well-funded state institutions in Iran, responsible for overseeing all published content within the country and ensuring it aligns with state policies.
On Friday, footage from social media verified by Reuters showed Al-Rasool Mosque in Tehran on fire.
IRIB also released a video that it allegedly shows several protesters inside a mosque vandalizing property before one individual disables the security camera in the building. IRIB did not name the mosque or its location. CNN can not independently verify the content of the video.
1 hr 58 min ago
An Iranian forensic institute is full of bodies that loved ones are trying to identify
From CNN’s Hira Humayun
Videos out of Tehran province show people at the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center as they try to identify their loved ones among dozens of bodies.
Verified videos obtained by CNN show a crowd of people gathered in front of a monitor that displays photos of deceased people as their loved ones try to identify them. Information seen on the screen suggests there could be up to 250 bodies.
Another clip from the forensic facility shows bodies in black body bags lined up on a walkway outside the building, with people gathered around. Screams of anguish could be heard, and people are seen crying beside the bodies. Some bodies are set down on an unpaved area by the building as families frantically search for the remains of their loved ones.
The monitor in the first video indicates the date as Friday. CNN cannot independently verify when the rest of the clips were taken.
Iranian state-affiliated media has acknowledged the situation at the facility but insists that the bodies seen are those of “ordinary people” who were dragged into the protests.
State-affiliated Tasnim News Agency posted a video with scenes from the forensics institute. The video shows the agency reporter’s conversations with grieving loved ones at the institute, who tell him their relatives were not protesters and were not inclined to protest.
One bereaved man sitting on the floor beside a body in a black bag tells the state media reporter in tears that his loved one was hit in the head with a rock thrown at them by an unknown person from the top of a building. The man says his loved one was pro-government.
The state media reporter then turns to the camera and says protesters who “aimed to clash” with security forces or “wanted to seize a [military] base or something and may have used arms” are also among the dead. “But most of these people were ordinary people and [their] families are ordinary families,” he says.
Some background: The Iranian government has called on citizens not to join “rioters and terrorists” participating in demonstrations across Iran. President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that there was a difference between people peacefully protesting and the “rioters” who set out to “disrupt the entire society.”
