New level of brutality’: Iran doctors put death toll in suppressed uprising at over 16,500

A growing network of Iranian doctors is sounding the alarm over what they describe as an unprecedented scale of violence used to crush a nationwide uprising, estimating that more than 16,500 people may have been killed during months of unrest. Speaking anonymously from inside Iran and in exile, physicians say the official death toll bears little resemblance to what they have witnessed in hospitals, morgues, and makeshift clinics across the country.

Their accounts paint a grim picture: overwhelmed emergency wards, security forces stationed inside hospitals, and medical staff pressured to falsify records or remain silent. Together, these testimonies suggest what one doctor called “a new level of brutality,” not only in the streets but also within the healthcare system itself.

A shadow network emerges

The doctors belong to an informal but increasingly organized network that began sharing information as protests intensified. Using encrypted messaging apps and trusted intermediaries abroad, they compiled casualty data from multiple provinces, cross-checking figures through hospital admissions, death certificates, and reports from families.

According to members of the network, the estimate of more than 16,500 deaths includes protesters, bystanders, and detainees who later died from injuries or alleged mistreatment in custody. Physicians stress that this number is conservative, reflecting only cases they could verify through medical channels.

“We are doctors, not politicians,” said one physician working in a major urban hospital. “Our duty is to record the truth about what we see. And what we see is far worse than what is being acknowledged.”

Hospitals under surveillance

Several doctors described hospitals turning into extensions of the security apparatus. Plainclothes officers reportedly monitored emergency rooms, questioned injured patients, and in some cases removed individuals before treatment was complete. Gunshot wounds, severe head trauma, and internal injuries were common, according to medical staff.

“In some cases, we were told to list causes of death as ‘cardiac arrest’ or ‘accident,’ even when it was obvious the injuries came from live ammunition,” said another doctor, who has since fled the country. Refusing to comply, physicians say, could lead to dismissal, interrogation, or arrest.

Medical ethics, they argue, have been systematically undermined. Ambulances were allegedly blocked from reaching protest areas, while injured demonstrators avoided hospitals altogether for fear of detention, relying instead on clandestine clinics run by volunteers.

Suppression beyond the streets

Human rights advocates say the doctors’ accounts align with a broader pattern of information suppression. Internet blackouts, restrictions on journalists, and threats against families of victims have made independent verification difficult. Official statements have offered significantly lower casualty figures, often attributing deaths to “riots” or foreign interference.

The physicians’ network challenges that narrative by emphasizing the medical evidence. Trauma patterns, they say, indicate widespread use of live rounds, metal pellets, and heavy blunt force. The severity of injuries suggests an intent not just to disperse crowds, but to incapacitate and intimidate.

“This wasn’t crowd control,” said one surgeon. “This was punishment.”

A toll on the healers

The psychological impact on medical workers has been profound. Doctors and nurses report burnout, moral injury, and constant fear. Some have been summoned by authorities and warned against speaking to foreign media. Others have seen colleagues detained after treating high-profile protest cases.

Despite the risks, the network continues its work. Members believe documenting the death toll is essential, both for historical record and for potential future accountability. Several doctors have shared anonymized data with international human rights organizations, hoping it will help spur independent investigations.

Calls for accountability

The physicians are not calling for political change in their statements, but for recognition and accountability. They argue that acknowledging the true scale of the deaths is the first step toward justice for victims and their families.

International medical associations and rights groups have begun echoing these concerns, urging protections for healthcare workers and demanding access for independent observers. Whether such calls will lead to concrete action remains uncertain.

For now, the doctors’ network continues to operate in the shadows, bound by a shared professional oath and a collective sense of responsibility.