A 37-year-old beautician in the Iranian city of Karaj has shared videos and messages documenting the brutal crackdown on protesters, revealing a pervasive fear that has gripped the country. The footage, obtained by The Associated Press, shows tear gas canisters landing among crowds and gunfire ringing out as protesters chant, 'Don't be afraid. We are all together.'
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, described a collective boldness on the night of January 8, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets against the cleric-led theocracy. But after the bloodshed, she retreated into terrified isolation, moving in with her mother and struggling to sleep. 'When you look at people in the street, it feels like you are seeing walking corpses, people with no hope left to continue living,' she wrote in a text message.
Monitoring groups report at least 6,854 people were killed, mostly on January 8 and 9, though the full number could be triple that. A monthlong internet blackout has hidden the extent of the crackdown, with over 50,000 people reportedly detained. The beautician expressed despair that change can happen and a sense of abandonment by the world, fearing that Iran's leaders will outlast international pressure and that those who died will have died in vain.
The beautician, a nail technician struggling in Iran's crippled economy, had participated in the 2022 protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death but was disillusioned by the violence. This time, she joined after she could hardly afford cooking oil, earning only $40 in December. Her relative in Los Angeles, who shared the videos, said her desire changed 'from saving her country to saving herself.'
