Rasht in Fire and Blood; A Repression That Has Gone Beyond Historical Memory

Eyewitnesses in Rasht reported the bloodiest and most violent repression in the city, which symbolizes the unprecedented repression of the January 1404 protests.

According to eyewitnesses and based on the limited images released, what happened in Rasht on the nights of January 8 and 9, 1404, went beyond a typical street crackdown and is now being remembered as one of the "bloodiest" events in the city's contemporary history.

The capital of Gilan province practically became a scene of unbridled violence during these two nights, where parts of the city's old bazaar and several banks were set on fire, and a large number of citizens lost their lives.

Despite the passage of time, the true dimensions of what happened in Rasht remain shrouded in mystery. Eyewitnesses, including those who risked serious risks to transmit information from inside the country and those who have told their stories after leaving Iran, insist that more documents, images, and videos will be released to understand the extent of the disaster. According to them, the intensity and scope of the events were unprecedented and essentially impossible to describe in words.

In this regard, the accounts of three eyewitnesses to the events in Rasht who spoke to BBC Persian provide a shocking picture of those nights. To protect their safety, the accounts have been published in redacted form, which itself is a testament to the atmosphere of fear and terror prevailing in the country.

The Rasht crackdown is just part of a bigger picture. In the third week of a nationwide internet shutdown in Iran, images have been leaked showing the conditions in various cities after the killing of protesters. Among them is video from Behesht Zahra, Tehran’s largest cemetery, on January 11, 1404, where a large crowd of families gathered to bury their loved ones. The images, without needing explanation, demonstrate the depth of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the country.

Human rights organizations, citing field data and unofficial reports, have warned that thousands of people have been killed or injured since the protests began in January 2025. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) announced that as of February 25, it had verified the identities of 5,149 protesters killed and was currently investigating about 17,000 other deaths. These organizations emphasize that given the severe censorship, communication cuts, and pressure on families, the final death toll could be several times higher than the current figures.

Widespread suppression of protests, long-term internet shutdowns, prevention of independent reporting, and pressure on witnesses and victims' families are familiar patterns in the Iranian government's handling of popular protests; but what happened in January 2025, according to many observers, is a sign that the government has crossed lines that are considered unprecedented even compared to previous repressions.

Rasht, a city that for years was known as a symbol of social and cultural dynamism in northern Iran, is now tied to a name that reminds us of fire, blood, and an imposed silence; a silence that can only be broken by disseminating the truth and carefully documenting these events.

The widespread and prolonged internet shutdown during the January 1404 protests cannot be considered a mere security or technical measure; it was an integral part of the repression mechanism. The internet at this point was not just a means of communication, but also the only way to record, document, and save lives. Depriving citizens of access to it meant closing off the avenues for shouting, testifying, and providing help.

As security forces cracked down on protesters with widespread violence, the internet shutdown effectively turned cities into isolated islands where the killings could continue without public oversight or fear of accountability. The lack of communication disrupted contact with families, the media, doctors, and even emergency services, and many of the wounded reportedly died without medical attention.

The internet shutdown was also a tool for distorting reality. In the absence of images and real-time reports, the official narrative of the regime was able to label the victims as “rioters” and hide the true extent of the violence. This is despite the experience of previous protests in Iran showing that wherever the internet remained connected, visual evidence has been able to challenge official narratives and prevent widespread denial.

From a human rights perspective, the internet shutdown amid protests is an example of collective punishment and a clear violation of the right to access information. International organizations have repeatedly warned that such measures not only violate freedom of expression, but also facilitate more serious violations such as extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture.

What happened in Rasht and other cities in Iran showed that the internet shutdown is no longer just an “emergency response,” but has become a structural tool in the management of repression; a tool that imposes silence, targets collective memory, and limits the possibility of legal action from the very beginning.

Until these events are independently investigated and the perpetrators held accountable, the risk of such tragedies recurring remains; tragedies that occur in the darkness of a disconnected internet and can only be brought to light by insisting on the truth.