Medical professionals in Iran have reported that the death toll from the recent protests may exceed 30,000, far surpassing official figures. A network of over 80 doctors across 12 provinces, coordinated by a physician identified as Dr Ahmadi, documented severe injuries and a high number of fatalities. They estimate that officially registered deaths represent less than 10% of the actual total.
Witnesses describe bodies being transported in ice-cream vans and meat trucks, with mass burials conducted to conceal the scale of the crackdown. Morgue and graveyard staff reported being overwhelmed by the volume of corpses, with some forensic facilities turning away trucks full of bodies. Hundreds of bodies are believed to have disappeared from forensic facilities.
The Iranian government has acknowledged over 3,000 deaths, while HRANA has verified more than 6,000 and is investigating a further 17,000. Doctors outside Iran estimate the toll could be as high as 33,000. The internet blackout has hampered independent verification.
Dr Ahmadi described the injuries as demonstrating "a brutality without limit," with many protesters suffering close-range gunshot wounds and severe stab wounds to the chest, eyes, and genitals. Another doctor in Tehran said, "I am on the verge of a psychological collapse. They’ve mass murdered people."
