Manoto releases documentary series on January protests in Iran — Jerusalem Post
The Persian-language TV channel Manoto has presented the four-part documentary project This Is Our Story about the January protests in Iran. The film was compiled from videos recorded by the country's residents during demonstrations, the violent suppression of protests, searches for missing people and the burials of those killed, the Jerusalem Post reports.
According to the TV channel, the film used a large archive of materials filmed by ordinary Iranians. Reports released after the documentary project's launch said that its creators reviewed more than 10,000 recordings. The four episodes, with a total runtime of more than seven hours, cover the first strikes and demonstrations, the mass protests on January 8, the killings and searches for missing people, as well as funerals and traditional 40-day mourning ceremonies.
Protests and communications shutdown
The protests began on December 28 amid the falling value of the rial and economic pressure. Initially, bazaar merchants closed their shops, but the demonstrations later spread across the country and were increasingly directed against the Islamic Republic. The videos include footage of protests in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and other cities.
On January 8, when large crowds gathered across the country, authorities began limiting Iran's connection with the outside world: internet access dropped sharply for several operators, while calls from abroad stopped connecting. Amnesty International stated that the communications shutdown made it significantly more difficult for families, journalists and human rights organizations to establish the circumstances of events.
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Human rights data and estimates of the death toll
Human Rights Watch reported that it verified videos showing Iranian security forces shooting protesters and found signs of large-scale killings in several provinces. Amnesty International also verified footage of shooting with rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets from streets and rooftops.
The number of people killed remains subject to differing estimates. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News that authorities had released identification data and death certificates for about 3,000 people, of whom around 500, according to him, were security and police personnel. At the same time, human rights organizations cited substantially higher estimates.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran said this month that the country's authorities committed gross human rights violations while suppressing the protests. The mission concluded that many incidents may constitute crimes against humanity, including murder, imprisonment, torture, inhumane acts and other severe deprivations of liberty.
