The Pattern of Killings During the 2026 Nationwide Uprising
As the nationwide uprising of 2026 was violently suppressed, a body of field testimonies, medical evidence, and local information from cities across Iran reveals the emergence of a coherent pattern of clandestine killings of protesters, elimination of the wounded, and secret burials in mass graves. This pattern was not limited to live fire in the streets. It extended to the transfer of wounded protesters to morgues, the deliberate denial of medical treatment, night burials without informing families, and the imposition of fabricated narratives; a phase that went beyond conventional street repression.
Accounts from multiple cities, including Mashhad, Babol, and Amol, demonstrate that the killing of protesters and the concealment of bodies were not the result of isolated local decisions. Rather, they reflect the issuance of orders to kill and covertly eliminate protesters from the highest levels of authority; orders that, within Iran’s power structure, could not have been implemented without the direct role and responsibility of Ali Khamenei and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.
Mashhad; A Hub of Mass Burials and Systematic Concealment
Field accounts from Mashhad indicate that the city became one of the principal hubs for the secret burial and organized removal of protesters’ bodies during the 2026 uprising. Testimonies from local witnesses, information from medical staff, and irregularities in the body-release process point to a coordinated operation aimed at concealing the true scale of the killings.
Night Burials and Mass Graves at Behesht-e Rezvan Cemetery
According to informed sources, deep pits were excavated at Behesht-e Rezvan Cemetery in Mashhad for mass burials. These sources report that approximately one thousand bodies of those killed during the 2026 protests were buried at night without public notice, without official registration, and outside any legal procedures. The burials were carried out mainly during late-night hours, and families were kept unaware of the burial locations of their loved ones.
In one reported case, the body of a protester had been buried in Neyshabur. When the family sought to transfer and inspect the burial site, they discovered that several other bodies had been interred simultaneously in the same grave; clear evidence of mass burial and efforts to erase traces of the killings.
Farabi Hospital; The Pre-Burial Bottleneck
Information from Farabi Hospital in Mashhad indicates that more than one thousand body-release signatures were recorded in a single day. In the absence of any official announcement, this figure points to a large number of fatalities and the quiet management of bodies prior to burial.
A local stonemason also confirmed receiving orders for 148 gravestones, all for girls and boys aged 16 to 23. Local sources stress that these numbers reflect only a fraction of the reality, and that the true number of victims remains unknown due to secret burials and the destruction of records.
Medical Evidence of Transfers While Alive
Visual evidence shows bodies transferred to morgues with endotracheal tubes, urinary catheters, cardiac monitoring electrodes, and other active medical equipment still attached. This indicates that the individuals were alive or medically unstable at the time of transfer. Transporting bodies in this condition constitutes strong evidence of the physical elimination of wounded and unstable patients and a deliberate effort to prevent the official registration of deaths.
Babol; Elimination of the Wounded and Forced Deaths at the Goleh-Mahalleh Morgue
Witness Account; Shocking Report from Goleh-Mahalleh Morgue in Babol
According to a resident of Babol, a family went to the Goleh-Mahalleh cemetery morgue to receive the body of their child, who had been killed during the 2026 nationwide protests. While identifying the bodies, the family encountered a case that was clearly alive. The witness stated that the body inside the body bag was visibly moving, and faint sounds could be heard from inside.
Upon seeing this, the family immediately informed the officers present and demanded that the body bag be opened. However, the officers responded in a threatening manner and warned that if the family continued to pursue the matter, the body of their own child would not be released.
The officers explicitly stated: “We have orders that everyone transferred here, even if alive or wounded, must remain here until they die.” The witness emphasized that the officers did not allow any body to leave the morgue. This account constitutes clear evidence of the deliberate elimination of wounded protesters and an effort to prevent the disclosure of the true number of those killed during the nationwide protests.
Analysis
What occurred at the Goleh-Mahalleh morgue goes beyond negligence or disorder. The transfer of individuals showing signs of life to a morgue, the denial of medical treatment, and threats against families demonstrate the use of the morgue as a tool for clandestine killing and the elimination of living witnesses.
Amol; Execution Shots to Wounded Protesters at the Scene
Witness Account; Eyewitness Testimony of Execution Shots in Amol
In Amol, one of the wounded individuals present at the scene reported his observations from the nights of 8–9 January 2026, providing harrowing details of the conduct of the security forces. The individual, who had been shot and was lying wounded among others, stated that armed agents in plain clothes and speaking with a local accent walked among the wounded and fired execution-style shots at close range at those who were still alive and moaning.
He wrote:
“I saw with my own eyes that the agents fired one by one at the heads or chests of wounded people who were still moving.”
The witness added that a driver of a Pride car saw him lying in critical condition, quickly placed him in the vehicle, and drove him away from the scene. This action saved his life and spared him the fate of the other wounded individuals. He went on to note the courage of the young people in the streets and wrote that the people, regardless of any external support, were sacrificing themselves for freedom. In his words, “Freedom will be achieved by the people themselves; even if the price is life.”
Analysis
Firing execution shots at wounded protesters at the scene demonstrates an intentional policy to ensure death and prevent the transfer of injured individuals to medical facilities; a practice that, alongside secret burials, completes the process of eliminating victims and evidence.
Legal Analysis: Crimes Against Humanity and Enforced Disappearance
The killing of unarmed protesters, execution-style shootings, deliberate denial of medical care, mass and secret burials, and the obstruction of families’ access to information constitute grave violations of the right to life, enforced disappearance, and crimes against humanity. The uniformity of methods and their geographic spread indicate that these acts were carried out pursuant to orders issued from the highest levels of authority.
Conclusion
What occurred during the 2026 nationwide uprising was not merely the suppression of street protests. It was the implementation of a deliberate policy of clandestine killing, elimination of the wounded, mass burial, and destruction of evidence. Witness testimonies and medical evidence present a clear picture of structural responsibility within the ruling system. Many victims remain buried in secret graves without names, while their families are denied the most basic right to know the truth.
