“We want to send the message to the Iranians that despite the blanket of lead, bullets and silence, we know what is happening and that they are not alone,” Senator Laurence Rossignol explained to Agence France-Presse. “ It is clear that after thousands of deaths, the movement is marked by fear. But when we look at everything that has happened, it is clear that it will happen again.”she added.
Iran was shaken for nearly three weeks by a wave of demonstrations triggered on December 28 in Tehran by traders against the cost of living, before gaining momentum on January 8, openly defying the Islamic Republic in power since 1979. The authorities then cut Internet communications, a decision aimed at hiding “brutality” repression, according to human rights groups.
At least 3,428 people killed
“The Iranian people courageously took to the streets and the regime carried out massacres”says one of the demonstrators, Nasser Razi. Like many, this Iranian in his fifties, however, displays confidence and determination. “This regime will not fall in one or two days. It’s a process that has already started.”he believes, referring in particular to the previous protests of 2019 and 2022.
The NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Norway, reports at least 3,428 people killed during the demonstrations, cases verified by itself or through independent sources. Other assessments give more than 5,000 deaths, or even 20,000, according to IHR, with the Internet shutdown making verification work difficult for NGOs and the media. The opposition channel Iran International, operating from abroad, claims for its part that at least 12,000 people were killed, citing senior government and security sources.
https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2026/01/17/en-france-plusieurs-milliers-de-personnes-defilent-en-soutien-a-la-contestation-en-iran_6662966_3210.html
