Confession of a Repressive Force About Government’s Brutal Crimes Against People

A shocking account by a repressive force operative concerning government massacres and planned operations reveals disclosures about weapon distribution among thugs, finishing off the wounded, and the use of refrigerated trucks to transport bodies.

During the bloody days of the 18th and 19th of Dey month, the streets of Tehran became the scene of one of the most horrific crackdown operations in contemporary Iranian history, an event that was not merely a response to popular protests, but according to a number of observers and witnesses, a planned, extensive, and systematic operation for the ruthless massacre of protesting citizens.

While international sources and reports from media outlets such as Reuters have confirmed the execution of severe crackdowns, a security force operative known by the alias Kazem has now revealed shocking details about his participation, orders, and operations at the heart of this crackdown.

Kazem, a 40-year-old man living in Tehran who, due to family connections, had previous ties with government institutions, says he played a role as a member of the repressive apparatus during these two bloody nights, though he emphasizes: “My hands are not stained with anyone’s blood.”

He says that after a period of detention in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence agency, which he describes as “a bad mistake,” he was released on the condition of cooperation and under threats to his life, was forced to accompany security forces.

He recounts that on the afternoon of Wednesday the 17th of Dey month, he received a call and was suddenly summoned to the Vali-e Asr barracks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; a center from which the deployment and management of crackdown forces in Tehran was directed.

In Kazem’s account, he explains that forces at that meeting were divided into different groups; some wore civilian clothes or had civilian appearances, while another section had the appearance of thugs and ruffians: “Aside from a few familiar faces, two types of people were seen there. Some had the appearance of thugs and ruffians, and these ones behaved very savagely.”

He says that a number of individuals were given brief weapons training, and based on experience, permission to use Kalashnikovs, revolvers, and ammunition was distributed among individuals. This unprecedented distribution of weapons among civilians and those in plain clothes contradicts the government’s official claim that only formal forces participated in the crackdown. Human rights sources have also previously reported the presence of informal and plain-clothed forces in the crackdowns.

He has revealed two new patterns of killing on those nights that, according to him, had no precedent before. One was hunting “leaders” or prominent protest activists, which Kazem describes this way: “After identifying their target, they would shoot them from behind at close range with revolvers.”

He calls the second pattern “death ambush” and says: “They would direct frightened crowds fleeing from gunfire sounds into dead-end alleyways, where it was not intended to arrest anyone, where people were intended to be killed.”

These tactics show that the goal of the repressive forces was not to suppress the protest, but to maximize the number of deaths.

The most difficult part of the account concerns his encounter with the wounded in the streets. Kazem says: “He pleaded saying he has a small child, don’t shoot.” He continues that at that moment he witnessed an armed officer executing the wounded, even as the defenseless person was pleading. He added: “Once he was sure the person was alive, he shot him in the head at close range.”

One of the most horrifying parts of the account is the use of refrigerated trucks from the “Mihan” ice cream company to transport bodies. Kazem says: “Like the protests of 1401, refrigerated Mihan ice cream trucks were used here too. I myself helped load the bodies.”

He even witnessed one of his companions pulling a necklace and earrings from a killed girl before loading her body and putting them in his pocket.

Independent human rights sources, including reports from Human Rights Watch and other credible media outlets, have also confirmed instances of transferring victims’ bodies using containers and unprofessional trucks.

Kazem estimates that more than 200 children were killed in Tehran during these two nights; a figure that, although not yet independently verifiable, corresponds with visual evidence and field reports.

He has also confirmed the presence of Popular Mobilization Forces during the crackdown nights in Tehran, saying: “The vast majority of the operating forces were Revolutionary Guards, plain-clothed personnel, Basij members, and security agents, but I saw a small number of Popular Mobilization Forces.”

Kazem also explicitly stated that the burning of banks and mosques was the work of security forces themselves, and in many cases, before the fires, people were asked to leave the area to enable cleanup.

International media and human rights reports have spoken of widespread massacres, the use of arson, and the control of informal forces in the crackdowns. Verified visual reports have also shown that in many areas, security forces systematically fired at protesting crowds, while the protesters were completely unarmed.

Although Kazem’s account is shocking and personal, it falls within the framework of multiple international reports and the testimony of eyewitnesses. The Iranian government not only dealt with the protests violently, but implemented an organized version of crackdown and massacre of people including training and distributing weapons to informal forces, death ambush tactics, executing the wounded, and using inhumane means to transport bodies.

Iran is in the midst of a human rights crisis that has not only targeted the protests, but has, in an unprecedented manner, put the lives of children, youth, and defenseless citizens in mortal danger.