A hospital in a large, medium-sized city in Iran received, in a single night during the January crackdown, dozens of people seriously injured by shots fired by security forces, especially by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Medical images – more than 75 X-rays and CT scans – shared with The Guardian newspaper show the extent of the extreme violence used against protesters, bystanders and even entire families, including teenagers, young children, grandparents and even babies.
These grayscale images reveal a clear and worrying pattern: many injured people were hit in the face, chest and genital region.
In one case, a young woman named Anahita, in her 20s, has dozens of metallic spheres spread across her face, chin, forehead, cheekbones and even inside her brain – she has lost at least one eye, possibly both.
Another young patient has a large-caliber bullet lodged in his neck, pushing his trachea to the side and causing blood to pool.
There are records of bullets stopping in the brain, next to the spine, passing through the lungs and causing collapse, or fragmenting bones such as the femur.
An especially shocking pattern appears in the genital and pelvic region: several men and women, including middle-aged people, have dozens or even almost 200 lead pellets (known as “birdshots”, 3 to 5 mm metal spheres fired from shotguns) embedded in their thighs, groin, perineum and internal organs.
In some cases, there is a risk of incontinence, sterility or permanent impotence.
Almost 30 people were shot in the face with this type of ammunition in just one night at that hospital, and at least nine had serious injuries in the genital area.
Iranian doctors, who speak on condition of anonymity for their safety, report that colleagues across the country are seeing the same thing: gunshots deliberately aimed at the eyes, heart and genitals, with the apparent aim of causing permanent disability or death.
An ophthalmologist described injuries that rupture the eyeball, cause severe internal bleeding and destroy the retina, leading to irreversible blindness – including in teenagers and children.
A grandmother in her 60s died after being shot at close range with pellets spread all over her body.
International experts who analyzed the images reinforce this view.
An emergency doctor at the University of California classified the injuries as “shocking” for their number and severity, comparing the birdshot fired at close range to “a hundred tiny bullets” as lethal as ordinary ammunition.
A ballistics expert identified bullets from AK-47-type assault rifles, weapons designed to kill.
A radiologist spoke of a “multiple casualty situation” that would overwhelm any hospital, similar to what is seen in war zones.
These cases are reminiscent of what happened in the 2022 protests, known as “Woman, Life, Freedom”, when security forces were already targeting the faces and genitals of protesters, especially women.
Current images prove that the violence was not random: the use of lethal ammunition against unarmed civilians, including shots at close range or from the roofs of civilian buildings, indicates an intention to kill or maim in a lasting manner.
Many injured people did not arrive at the hospital alive to be examined – x-rays show only part of the survivors who managed to receive care.
What these simple, cold images reveal is a harsh reality: the repression in Iran left deep marks, physical and human, on people of all ages who were just exercising their right to protest.
Published in 02/18/2026 08h43
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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