Medical scans reveal pattern of severe injuries to Iranian protesters - report

Medical images from a hospital in a major Iranian city show dozens of severe injuries among protesters and bystanders during the regime’s January crackdown, according to records shared with the Guardian. More than 75 sets of primarily X‑rays and CT scans were taken over the course of a single evening and document gunshot and pellet wounds to vital body parts.

The grayscale scans, shared as part of a joint investigation by the Guardian and Factnameh, capture trauma inflicted by birdshot and high‑caliber rounds. Many patients appear to have been shot in the face, chest, and genitals, a pattern also seen during Iran’s 2022 “Women, life, freedom” protests.

Experts who reviewed the images described injuries consistent with live ammunition and shotgun pellets. Full metal jacket bullets, which two ballistics specialists said were likely fired from assault rifles such as the AK‑47, were visible in some scans. One trauma imaging expert said the cases would constitute a “mass casualty situation” in a large hospital.

The images include cases of catastrophic damage, including bullets embedded in the brain and neck, shattered bones, and extensive chest trauma. Medical specialists who assessed the scans cautioned they could not make definitive diagnoses without full medical records but said the severity of the wounds was notable.

A doctor quoted in the investigation said those shot ranged from young adults to older people and that some injuries were unlikely to be survivable even with immediate treatment. The scans appear to reflect only a portion of those injured on that night, as many with fatal or non‑treatable wounds may not have reached imaging.

The findings add to international concern about Iran’s response to nationwide protests that began in early January, during which security forces reportedly used live ammunition against demonstrators. Reports from multiple sources have documented widespread gunshot wounds, pellet injuries, and a high death toll amid the crackdown, even as communication blackouts limited information from inside the country.

Medical images from Iran have drawn attention to the scale and nature of the violence, showing a pattern of wounds that medical reviewers said were more consistent with deliberate targeted fire than accidental injury.