Jiar Gol

In a video recently emerged from Tehran shows paramilitary loyal to the supreme leader, the Basij, alongside anti-riot police chasing young protesters through the streets.

As they run, the security forces are firing their weapons.

This explains why so many young men and women have been shot from behind, often at close range.

With a total internet shutdown across Iran, communicating with the outside world has become extremely difficult.

Only a small number of people using Starlink satellite connections have been able to reach us.

Images emerging from Iran are harrowing.

One shows a woman in her late 40s, dressed in black, standing in shock and grief among rows of body bags, searching for her loved one.

We have received many messages describing what is happening in different cities.

To protect their identities, we have broadcast these voices anonymously on BBC Persian.

One young man contacted us from a small town in Gilan in northern Iran.

a place where people usually turn off their lights early in the evening.

He said, they were protests with fear and hope.

We were all together.

Then suddenly, it escalated.

Another woman from the same town told us that around 2 a.m.

that day, they heard gunshots.

At first, there were two casualties, but by 4 a.m., the number of victims had risen.

images we have seen from open-air morgues show families lining up, desperately searching for loved ones.

Meanwhile, security forces and Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Unit have been arresting people across the country.

The Islamic Republic has released images of dead protesters, but claims they were killed by terrorists.