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Former Iranian prisoners reveal torture horrors as regime kills protesters on sight during crackdown
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As protests spread across Iran and security forces intensify their crackdown, former political prisoners are warning that what is visible on the streets represents only a fraction of the violence unfolding behind prison walls.
In interviews with Fox News Digital, three former detainees described a system designed not just to punish dissent, but to break it through solitary confinement, beatings, medical neglect and threats of execution. Their accounts span nearly two decades, from the 2009 uprising to the «Woman, Life, Freedom» movement and the current wave of unrest, pointing to what they describe as a consistent and escalating pattern of abuse.
Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the faces of the «Girls of Revolution Street» protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, was sentenced to one year in prison in March 2018 for what authorities described as «encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.»
IRANIAN STUDENT SHOT IN HEAD AT CLOSE RANGE AMID PROTESTS, BODY BURIED ALONG ROADSIDE
A woman with a mock-up of a gunshot bullet wound on her forehead looks on during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in Rome, Italy, Jan. 13, 2026. (Francesco Fotia/ Reuters )
Speaking this week, Shariatmadari said the scale of the current protests has pushed the regime beyond its capacity to detain demonstrators.
«According to the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic … are delivering ‘final shots’ to wounded protesters, killing them on the spot,» she said. «This has been unprecedented over the past 47 years and indicates that the number of detainees has become so large that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to hold them and is killing them without any form of trial.»
She said that while detainees in earlier uprisings were transferred to prisons or unofficial «safe houses,» authorities expanded detention during the 2022 «Woman, Life, Freedom» protests to schools, ambulances and food transport vehicles.
«They used ambulances and food transport vehicles to detain protesters, something I believe to be unprecedented in human history,» Shariatmadari said.
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Maryam Shariatmadari was detained by Iranian security forces after removing her hijab in protest against mandatory veiling laws during the «Girls of Revolution Street» demonstrations in Tehran. Shariatmadari was later sentenced to one year in prison for what authorities described as «encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.» (Fox News)
Inside detention facilities, she described systematic abuse.
«These include beatings, transfers to prisons without separation based on the type of offense, and the deliberate incitement of other inmates to harass and abuse us,» she said.
One of her most traumatic experiences occurred during interrogation.
«I was ordered to remove my clothes and remain completely naked for a body search while cameras were present,» Shariatmadari said. «I knew that men were watching me, and I could hear their voices.»
She also recalled being denied urgent medical care after an injury.
«Only after approximately 24 hours was I taken to a hospital to undergo surgery,» she said. «I believe this happened as a result of media pressure and public support.»
IRAN FLIPS ‘KILL SWITCH’ TO HIDE ALLEGED CRIMES AS DEATH TOLL RISES AMID PROTESTS
Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Eight hours a day, blindfolded
Shariatmadari’s husband, Mehdi Ghadimi, a freelance journalist who worked with reformist newspapers Etemad and Shargh, was arrested in January 2023 during protests and taken to an undisclosed location. He spent nearly his entire detention in solitary confinement.
«I was interrogated twice daily, morning and afternoon, for eight hours with my eyes blindfolded,» Ghadimi said.
In the final days of his detention, he was transferred to a shared cell, where he encountered detainees from across Iranian society.
«I encountered students, workers, technical specialists and others who had been arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement,» he said.
According to Ghadimi, detainees accused of supporting the Pahlavi dynasty were beaten more severely.
«Because their slogans and symbols supported the Pahlavi dynasty, they were beaten far more than the others,» he said.
Based on his experience, he warned that current detainees are likely to face even harsher treatment.
«I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment,» Ghadimi said, adding that Iran’s judiciary chief has publicly signaled a hard line.
Ghadimi, who fled the country in 2024, also cited figures circulating among activists claiming well over the 2,600 reported, likely dwarfing that number. He said the number of detainees is likely far higher than the 10,000 reported.
IRAN REGIME SAID TO UNLEASH HEZBOLLAH AND IRAQI MILITIAS AS UPRISING SPREADS
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, protesters chant slogans during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (UGC via AP) (UGC via AP)
«On the other side of those bars is hell»
Shabnam Madadzadeh, who was imprisoned during the 2009 uprising, said watching the current protests has revived memories of extreme brutality and raised fears of mass executions.
«What immediately comes to my mind is the regime’s sheer brutality in torture and killing,» Madadzadeh said.
She said detention facilities were already overflowing during the 2009 protests.
«There was no space left for detainees. Even the solitary cells were overflowing with people,» she said.
Madadzadeh recalled interrogators accusing nearly everyone arrested of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq and described torture and beatings «to the point of killing.»
One threat made to her during interrogation still haunts her.
«He told me: ‘If we are going to be overthrown, we will kill all of you. We will leave no one alive,’» she said.
She warned that the current internet blackout has heightened the danger for detainees.
«We truly do not know what level of brutality is currently taking place inside the prisons,» Madadzadeh said, adding that information reaching her suggests the regime is seeking to carry out executions quickly.
Citing Iran’s past, she warned of the risk of mass killings similar to the 1988 executions of political prisoners.
«Today, at a moment when the regime is on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger that such a massacre could be repeated,» she said.
Madadzadeh said young detainees are likely facing forced confessions, mock executions and threats of sexual violence.
«Whatever I do to you, no one will hear your voice,» an interrogator once told her, she recalled.
She also emphasized the suffering of families searching for loved ones.
«Families are moving between detention centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries,» she said. «This uncertainty itself is the greatest form of torture.»
As the protests continue, all three former prisoners said the outside world must not look away.
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Shabnam Madadzadeh, a former political prisoner detained during Iran’s 2009 uprising, later spoke publicly about torture, solitary confinement and threats of execution inside the Islamic Republic’s prisons, warning that detainees during the current protests face extreme and immediate danger. (Fox News)
«The first thing I expect the free world to understand is the true voice of the people inside Iran,» Shariatmadari said. «The people of Iran are united in their demand for regime change and want to restore Iran to its former dignity, a dignity in which human rights and human worth were respected.»
Ghadimi echoed that warning.
«Without a doubt, when the regime displays such open violence in the streets, even worse atrocities occur behind prison walls,» he said. «I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment.»
For Madadzadeh, the danger is immediate.
«The world must respond decisively to this brutality,» she said. «Every minute of delay costs lives.»
She called for concrete international action.
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Demonstrators burn pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Iranian embassy during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Jan. 12, 2026. (Toby Melville/Reuters)
«Force the regime to allow independent visits to prisons and to the secret detention centers run by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence,» Madadzadeh said. «Lives depend on it.»
Together, their testimonies paint a stark picture of Iran’s prisons as the hidden front line of repression and a warning that what remains unseen may be even more deadly than what is already visible in the streets.
iran,world protests,middle east,ali khamenei,middle east foreign policy,foreign policy
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American stealth bombers are expected to land at U.K. military bases within days to join the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran, according to reports.
Citing unnamed senior Western officials, The Telegraph reported Wednesday that air bases at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire are being readied for the arrival of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers — the $2 billion strategic bomber is also known as the world’s most expensive aircraft.
The bombers are understood to be landing at the U.K. bases «in a matter of days» as Washington intensifies operations in the region, the outlet reported.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the U.S. military used stealth B-2 bombers to strike Iranian ballistic missile facilities Feb. 28 as part of the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Diego Garcia is a strategic Indian Ocean base hosting 2,500 US military personnel. (Reuters)
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers, which were equipped with 2,000-pound bombs, struck Iranian «hardened» ballistic missile sites.
The U.S. was cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iran’s missile capabilities on Feb. 29 after Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on the plan, and while U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey stated Britain had «stepped up alongside the Americans.»
Starmer said the authorization was granted to protect U.K. and U.S. allies as the conflict escalated. He had previously said he would not allow American forces to use U.K. bases for offensive operations in the region.
Tensions have since been heightened in the U.K. by security incidents in Cyprus. RAF Akrotiri, a key British military base on the island, was struck by a suspected drone on March 2, causing minor damage.
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Several B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers are seen on a runway at the Whiteman Air Force Base. (Whiteman Air Force Base)
The unmanned aircraft was reported to resemble an Iranian-made Shahed drone, similar to models used by Russia in Ukraine and by Tehran’s regional proxies.
The Ministry of Defense said force-protection measures were at the «highest level» and that the base had taken steps to defend personnel. About 4,000 service members and their families are based at RAF Akrotiri.
The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Cyprus to Level 3, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of the threat of armed conflict and limited consular assistance in parts of the country.
Non-emergency embassy staff and family members were authorized to leave. Officials said the advisory change reflected adjustments in embassy operations rather than a direct change in underlying risk.
EX-CENTCOM CHIEF DETAILS ‘EXQUISITE INTELLIGENCE’ BEHIND IRAN STRIKES, SAYS NEXT STEPS HINGE ON ‘MISSILE MATH’
President Donald Trump blasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer March 3, 2026, saying «this is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with,» amid a lack of support for the United States’ and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images ; PA Images via Getty Images ; Jonathan Brady/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump had called Britain «uncooperative» and slammed Starmer as «not Winston Churchill» after Starmer initially rebuffed a U.S. request to use U.K. bases to attack Iran, according to The Associated Press.
Trump has also condemned Britain’s agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia base, to Mauritius.
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Unearthed video shows Dem candidate supporting ‘reallocation’ of police funding to social service programs
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A Democrat running for Congress in one of the most competitive seats in the country once said she would combat systematic racism by redirecting law enforcement funding when asked if she would «defund the police» in 2020.
«I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,» JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran, told the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and Arizona Capitol Times at a town hall event.
«Such as social service programs. Such as housing, public education, healthcare, ensuring that we are addressing economic stability and environmental safety.»
JoAnna Mendoza, a candidate for Congress, is running in one of the country’s most competitive races in 2026. (Joanna Mendoza for Congress/YouTube screenshot)
Mendoza, who is running to represent Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, denied ever supporting defunding the police, according to her campaign.
«Jo Mendoza has been on the record for years that police need MORE resources to do their jobs – not less – including body cameras and training. And she has repeatedly stated that she does not support defunding the police,» Mendoza’s campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«Any other assertion is categorically false, a lie and a political smear from D.C. hacks hoping to save Juan Ciscomani from an early retirement,» the campaign said, referring to the GOP incumbent Mendoza is running against.
Mendoza did not clarify what she had meant by the 2020 statement. However, her campaign pointed to other comments she made in 2020.
«I do not support defunding the police. Police officers are being asked to do too much. They’re being asked to address issues because of the lack of resources in our communities,» Mendoza said in another virtual event that year.
The Republican National Committee slammed Mendoza in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«There’s no way for JoAnna Mendoza to spin her extreme anti-police views, and Arizonans will know that she sides with dangerous criminals over them,» Nick Poche, a spokesperson for the RNC, told Fox News Digital.
The «defund the police» platform, which at the time was championed by several progressive Democrats, has aged poorly, leading Republicans and Democrats to view mere mentions of the phrase as a political liability in 2026.
The movement first burst onto the scene through the outrage after the death of George Floyd, a Black Minnesota resident who died after a police arrest in which an officer pinned him to the ground by placing a knee on his neck for an extended period.
His death sparked an uproar in cities across the country over racism in law enforcement and whether police in America could do more to avoid violence during arrests.
DEMOCRATS WORRY ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SLOGAN WILL BACKFIRE POLITICALLY LIKE ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ DID
Demonstrators carry a banner during an «I Can’t Breathe» Silent March For Justice in Minneapolis March 7, 2021. (Emilie Richardson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Although the outrage over Floyd eventually subsided, many of the calls to divert resources away from police persisted as a Democratic platform, leading some cities like Minneapolis and Austin, Texas, to reduce their police budgets.
However, the movement began to draw ire from Democrats who feared the party had taken a stance that could be considered at odds with community safety and worsen their odds at the ballot box.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the House Majority Whip under U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in 2021, said the phrase was «cutting the throats of the party.»
«We keep making that mistake. This foolishness about you got to be this progressive or that progressive,» Clyburn said.
TENNESSEE CANDIDATE BLASTS DEM OPPONENT’S ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ TWEETS CALLING TO DISSOLVE NASHVILLE POLICE
Other Democratic strategists, such as James Carville, have also condemned the platform.
Carville called the slogan «the three stupidest words in the English language» in interviews in 2024 and went as far as suggesting the slogan could have led to the loss of Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid against Donald Trump.
«We could never wash off the stench of it,» Carville added.
TLAIB-BACKED SENATE CANDIDATE IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER DELETING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
James Carville speaks onstage during Politicon at Music City Center in 2025. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon)
Mendoza faces a tough race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. Ciscomani, the seat’s current incumbent, narrowly won election in 2024 in a 50%-47.5% victory over Democrat challenger Kirsten Engel.
The district is listed among the Cook Political Report’s most competitive races in 2026, earning one of the 18 seats with a «toss-up» designation.
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Poche believes Mendoza’s previous comments have just made her bid against Ciscomani harder.
«If the Democrats think a defund-the-police radical can beat him, they’re just plain stupid,» Poche said.
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congress,police and law enforcement,politics,democrats elections,arizona,elections
El último conflicto en Oriente Medio es veloz, violento, extenso y profundamente complejo. Y con todos los acontecimientos que se mueven con rapidez, la escalada de los combates entre Estados Unidos e Israel por un lado, e Irán y sus aliados por el otro, puede ser difícil de entender, y mucho menos de visualizar.
Los ataques aéreos destruyen manzanas y recintos enteros. Los misiles cruzan las fronteras. Los drones descargan una destrucción letal. Como se observa en el mapa anterior, los ataques aéreos de ambos bandos han resonado en toda la región durante días.
Esta colección de elementos visuales de The Associated Press —mapas interactivos, imágenes satelitales, tomas deslizantes de antes y después— está diseñada para ofrecer una alternativa, o al menos un complemento, a las palabras que describen lo que está sucediendo.
En este espacio, mostraremos las formas en que se desarrolla la guerra, las personas involucradas en ella y el impacto que está teniendo: físico, político y visceral. Algunos mapas y otros elementos serán fijos y evolucionarán día a día. Otros serán sustituidos según lo justifiquen los acontecimientos. A la izquierda: el recinto del Líder Supremo de Irán, Ali Khamenei, antes de la mañana del 28 de febrero. A la derecha: el mismo lugar tras los ataques aéreos.
Ataque al complejo de Ali Jameini
Tocá para explorar el contenido
Esto es lo que los periodistas gráficos llaman un «deslizador»: arrastre las flechas del centro para ver el antes y el después completo; arquitectura antes, simples escombros después.
Khamenei y un número indeterminado de otros líderes iraníes murieron en el ataque, lo que efectivamente descabezó al gobierno teocrático en una medida aún desconocida. Las fotos muestran no solo la destrucción, sino la precisión milimétrica de la carga útil de los aviones en este ataque: mientras que el complejo en sí fue nivelado, muchos de los edificios a su alrededor permanecen visiblemente intactos.
Este «carrusel» gráfico muestra la lista de aspirantes que podrían sustituir a Khamenei como máximo líder espiritual de Irán.
Entre ellos: el expresidente Hassan Rouhani, quien alcanzó el histórico acuerdo nuclear con la administración Obama que Trump desechó; Mojtaba Khamenei, hijo del fallecido líder de alto rango. Aunque solo es un clérigo de nivel medio, se le considera ampliamente como un potencial sucesor de su padre, a pesar de que nunca ha ocupado un cargo político.
También figura en la lista un moderado relativo, Hassan Khomeini, poco conocido fuera de Irán y de sus círculos religiosos y políticos. Es nieto del ayatolá Ruhollah Khomeini, quien orquestó la revolución islámica de Irán en 1979 y gobernó como líder supremo durante una década antes de morir y ser sustituido por Khamenei.
Cada vez que ocurre algo en Oriente Medio, especialmente en el Golfo Pérsico, la cuestión del petróleo nunca está lejos de la conversación, particularmente cuando se trata de Irán.
Este gráfico muestra la volatilidad de los precios del petróleo en los días posteriores a los primeros ataques contra Irán antes de la madrugada del sábado. Los precios del petróleo suelen ser volátiles, pero los conflictos tienden a desequilibrarlos de formas más agudas y, mientras el conflicto continúe, bien podría ser el caso.
Nótese en particular los picos: el precio actual por barril de crudo estadounidense, que ya estaba en ascenso este año a medida que aumentaban las tensiones con Irán, superó los 70 dólares por barril en los días posteriores al ataque del sábado contra Irán. Fue el precio más alto del crudo estadounidense desde julio, cuando la guerra de 12 días entre Israel e Irán lo elevó temporalmente a casi 75 dólares por barril.
Un elemento clave en cualquier guerra relacionada con el Golfo Pérsico es la potencia y capacidad marítima. Este mapa muestra la ubicación aproximada de los destructores bajo el mando de Estados Unidos y la administración Trump.
Cuando Irán es atacado por Estados Unidos y sus aliados, contraataca regionalmente contra quienes albergan operaciones estadounidenses y aliadas.
Como muestra este mapa, una gran cantidad de naciones cercanas han sufrido ataques de Irán en los últimos días, incluidos Israel, Chipre, Irak, Kuwait, Bahréin, Qatar, Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, incluido Dubái.
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