Passersby under the snow in a street in Tehran, Iran, on January 23, 2026. Photo Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters. People walk during a snowfall on a street in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 23, 2026. (Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
Ali*, 37, a laboratory technician from Tehran, took part in the protest movement from its earliest days. Reached via Telegram on Jan. 28, he recounted to L'Orient-Le Jour the atmosphere in the city following the demonstrations that he said deeply shook him.Beginning with a strike at Tehran’s bazaar on Dec. 28, the protests quickly spread across the country over 10 days, culminating in two nights of mass mobilization on Jan. 8 and 9. Images and testimonies pointed to unprecedented crowds in the streets and a fierce crackdown by security forces. By the following day, hundreds of bodies were reported in morgues across the capital. On Jan. 26, Mai Sato, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on Iran, estimated that there could be "tens of thousands of victims" nationwide.Below is Ali's testimony of the events:I could say that,...
Ali*, 37, a laboratory technician from Tehran, took part in the protest movement from its earliest days. Reached via Telegram on Jan. 28, he recounted to L'Orient-Le Jour the atmosphere in the city following the demonstrations that he said deeply shook him.Beginning with a strike at Tehran’s bazaar on Dec. 28, the protests quickly spread across the country over 10 days, culminating in two nights of mass mobilization on Jan. 8 and 9. Images and testimonies pointed to unprecedented crowds in the streets and a fierce crackdown by security forces. By the following day, hundreds of bodies were reported in morgues across the capital. On Jan. 26, Mai Sato, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on Iran, estimated that there could be "tens of thousands of victims" nationwide.Below is Ali's testimony of the events:I could say...
