Iran accused of forcibly injecting detainees as deaths in custody rise

New testimonies emerging from Iran describe disturbing practices inside the country’s prisons, detention centers, and hospitals, amid an ongoing crackdown on protests.

According to reports cited by opposition outlet Iran International, detainees are allegedly being forcibly injected with unidentified substances, a practice that activists link to a growing number of suspicious deaths in custody.

The allegations were raised by Shiva Mahbobi, a former political prisoner and spokesperson for a campaign advocating the release of political detainees. 

She says her organization has gathered numerous, consistent testimonies suggesting that injured protesters are being denied proper medical treatment and, in some cases, injected with unknown drugs while in detention. “There was a massacre in the streets,” Mahbobi warned, “and another may be unfolding quietly inside the prisons.”

Access to detention facilities is reportedly tightly restricted, with families discouraged from speaking publicly and independent medical or forensic investigations barred. Despite these limitations, activists say the accounts point to a systematic pattern rather than isolated incidents. According to multiple testimonies, injured protesters are routinely taken into detention instead of hospitals, and many experience a rapid decline in health after receiving injections while in police custody.

One recent case involves a 16-year-old girl arrested last week who reportedly fell into a coma after being injected while detained. Medical examinations later indicated signs of poisoning, though no specific substance was identified. She was released only after her family paid a substantial bail and remains in intensive care. Similar cases have been reported in Isfahan and nearby areas, including that of a young woman who died the day after being released on bail.

The accusations extend beyond detention centers. Witnesses also report incidents in hospitals, where injured protesters were allegedly removed by security forces. The Wall Street Journal previously documented the case of a teenager who was shot, taken alive from a hospital, and later found dead.

These accounts echo reports from the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, when several detainees died shortly after their release without clear medical explanations. At the time, experts warned that the forced administration of sedatives or psychiatric drugs, and their sudden withdrawal, could lead to severe or fatal complications.

In response, human rights organizations are urging the international community to press Iranian authorities for transparency and to allow independent observers access to detention facilities. “If this continues in silence,” Mahbobi cautioned, “many will never come out alive.”