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Machine guns to machetes: Weapons that massacred thousands in Iran
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Machine guns to machetes: Weapons that massacred thousands in Iran

#Iran Protests #Mahsa Amini #IRGC #Forensic Investigation #Human Rights Violations #Weaponry #Islamic Republic

📌 Key Takeaways

  • BBC News Persian Forensic confirmed the use of both high-caliber military firearms and hand-to-hand weapons against protesters.
  • Security forces transitioned from non-lethal riot control to live ammunition as protests intensified.
  • Heavy weaponry, including PKM machine guns, was specifically documented in high-conflict provincial areas.
  • The use of machetes and metal cables indicates a strategy of inflicting severe physical intimidation and injury.

📖 Full Retelling

Iranian security forces deployed a diverse arsenal of lethal and non-lethal weapons against civilian protesters across numerous Iranian cities during the nationwide unrest sparked in late 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. A detailed investigation by BBC News Persian Forensic has confirmed that the state apparatus utilized everything from military-grade machine guns to primitive machetes to suppress the movement. The operation aimed to dismantle the widespread demonstrations that posed one of the most significant challenges to the Islamic Republic's authority in decades, resulting in the reported deaths of hundreds of civilians and thousands of injuries. The forensic analysis conducted by the BBC utilized a vast trove of verified video footage, eyewitness accounts, and internal records to map the specific weaponry used by the Basij paramilitary and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The findings reveal a systematic escalation in force, where traditional riot control tools like tear gas and rubber bullets were frequently replaced by live ammunition. Of particular concern was the documented use of 7.62mm caliber rounds fired from Kalashnikov-style rifles and the heavy deployment of PKM machine guns in regions like Sistan-Baluchestan, where the casualty rates were disproportionately high. Beyond firearms, the investigation highlighted the brutal nature of the crackdown through the use of cold weapons and unconventional tools. Security personnel were frequently filmed wielding machetes, batons, and even metal cables to beat protesters at close range. This multifaceted approach to violence suggests a strategy intended not just to disperse crowds, but to inflict maximum physical trauma and psychological terror on the population. The evidence gathered serves as a crucial record for international human rights organizations monitoring the ongoing situation in Iran, providing a technical blueprint of the state's repressive mechanisms.

🏷️ Themes

Human Rights, Geopolitics, Civil Unrest

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🔗 Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Death of Mahsa Amini:

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📄 Original Source Content
BBC News Persian Forensic has been able to confirm the security forces' deployment of a wide array of lethal and non-lethal weaponry.

Original source

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