Protest massacres of 8–9 January 2026

Iranian security forces carried out mass killings of protesters across the country, concentrated on 8 and 9 January 2026 and coinciding with a nationwide internet blackout that began on 8 January. Casualty estimates vary very widely by source: the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran cited at least 5,000 killed, noting medical sources putting the figure as high as 20,000, while other tallies range from roughly 6,500 to far higher. Reporting describes bodies withheld from families, payments demanded for their return, night burials under security supervision, and transfers to mass graves. The figure recorded here is the UN Special Rapporteur's lower bound and is a floor, not a settled count.