(Staff post from the MSN on 27 January 2026.)
Activists
have claimed that Iranian protesters captured by the regime's security forces
are being executed by prison guards, who then say they died amid the brutal
crackdown on mass riots. Kimia Alizadeh, an Iranian-born Olympic athlete, took
to social media to share what she claims was a harrowing account of the
regime's actions.
According
to a Tehran-based lawyer who spoke to her, civilians who were arrested for
taking part in the mass protests against the regime from late December to
mid-January are being executed. Their deaths are being 'registered as
"killed on previous days" by prison guards.'
The
lawyer purportedly told the athlete: 'There is no trial. There is no
investigation. The coroner confirms the death for the past few days. 'Our
hearts and eyes burn with blood, mourning, and anger.' Protests in Iran erupted
in late December following the fall in value of the country's currency.
With the nation already in years-long economic turmoil - caused by mismanagement of the country's finances, major sanctions from the UN, US and EU, and America's joint military operation with Israel to take out Iran's nuclear capabilities - the fall in value of the Iranian rial left the country's citizens furious. Protests began in Tehran and quickly spread across the country. In response, the regime harshly cracked down on them.
Thousands
reportedly killed in one of Iran’s deadliest crackdowns. By the regime's own
estimates, between two to three thousand have been killed, making it one of the
greatest massacres in the Islamic Republic's history; opposition sources like
the Iran International news channel put the figure at closer to 12,000.
A
mass internet blackout was put in place, severely limiting the information that
leaves the nation. The regime has also been accused of subjecting protesters to
sexual violence and torture, as well as 'disappearing' many people.
Amnesty International's Diana Eltahawy said: '“While people in Iran are still reeling from the grief and shock of the unprecedented massacres during protest dispersals, the Iranian authorities are waging a coordinated attack on the rights of people in Iran to life, dignity and fundamental freedoms in a criminal bid to terrorize the population into silence.
Through the ongoing internet shutdown, the authorities are deliberately isolating over 90 million people from the rest of the world to conceal their crimes and evade accountability.' She added: 'The international community must not allow another chapter of mass atrocities in Iran to be buried without consequence. Urgent international action, including steps towards accountability through independent international justice mechanisms, is long overdue to break the cycle of bloodshed and impunity.'
Late
last week, Donald Trump warned Iran that the United States is 'watching' and
has an armada headed toward the region, after protests that many believed would
force Trump to strike Tehran. Speaking on Air Force One on his way home from
the World Economic Forum in Davos last Thursday, Trump reiterated that, 'We're
watching Iran.'
That
includes military ships that are headed toward the region should they be
needed. 'We have a big flotilla going in that direction. We’ll see what
happens. We have a big force going toward Iran,' Trump said. 'I'd rather not
see anything happen but we're watching them very closely.
Recent military movements have seen U.S. F-15 Strike Eagles arrive in Jordan as part of a broader strategic buildup that includes the westward transit of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. Currently moving from the South China Sea toward the Persian Gulf, this naval force is equipped with destroyers, F-35 stealth fighters and electronic-jamming aircraft.
He
warned that the US forces, including 'massive armada' may have to act with
strikes on Tehran but added, 'Maybe we won't have to use it, we'll see.' The
claim comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf, where the US has continued to
move military assets, including carrier strike groups and jet fighters.
Pictured:
A billboard depicting a damaged U.S. aircraft carrier with disabled fighter
jets on its deck and a sign reading in Farsi and English, "If you sow the
wind, you'll reap the whirlwind," is seen at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic
Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026.
