At the border crossing from Iran into Iraqi Kurdistan, the stern face of Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, peers down at the trickle of Iranians leaving the territory. Thick snowflakes confetti the lorries and pedestrians arriving at this remote mountain pass.
Metres away, just beyond the border post, an Iranian flag flutters in the snow. Iran has shut down the internet and blocked phone calls into the country, but its borders are still open.
Inside the arrivals hall, we find dozens of men, women and children – many arriving to visit family on the Iraqi side of the border. No-one we met said they were fleeing Iran because of the recent protests and government crackdown, but one man – who asked us to hide his identity – told us security forces had shot him during a protest in central Iran last Friday.
I was hit in the face by seven pellet rounds, he said, pointing out several weals and bruises on his face. They struck above my eyelid, on my forehead, my cheek, my lip, under my ear and along my jaw. I had to use a razor blade to cut one of the pellets out.
He told us he was too afraid of being arrested to get medical help, and that others injured during the government crackdown on protestors were also avoiding treatment, out of fear that security forces would arrive and arrest them. One of my friends told me he was hit by a pellet round, he explained. His son, who is around 12 or 13 years old, was struck twice in the leg by live ammunition. One of the bullets is lodged in the shin bone. They're terrified of going to hospital to have it removed.
Reports indicate that Iran's regime sees the protests as an existential threat, with a crackdown that appears effective in keeping demonstrators at home due to fear of violence and arrest. Rights groups claim around 2,500 people have been killed in the crackdown.
Nevertheless, some Iranians continue to gather in protests, especially in cities like Fardis and Malard, as well as areas of Tehran, suggesting that the calls for change, especially concerning economic conditions, remain alive. Many express a yearning for basic rights and improved living standards amidst political and economic turmoil in their homeland.
From the border, it's clear that despite heavy repression, the will for change and protest continues within Iran, even if difficult to confirm due to imposed media restrictions.
Metres away, just beyond the border post, an Iranian flag flutters in the snow. Iran has shut down the internet and blocked phone calls into the country, but its borders are still open.
Inside the arrivals hall, we find dozens of men, women and children – many arriving to visit family on the Iraqi side of the border. No-one we met said they were fleeing Iran because of the recent protests and government crackdown, but one man – who asked us to hide his identity – told us security forces had shot him during a protest in central Iran last Friday.
I was hit in the face by seven pellet rounds, he said, pointing out several weals and bruises on his face. They struck above my eyelid, on my forehead, my cheek, my lip, under my ear and along my jaw. I had to use a razor blade to cut one of the pellets out.
He told us he was too afraid of being arrested to get medical help, and that others injured during the government crackdown on protestors were also avoiding treatment, out of fear that security forces would arrive and arrest them. One of my friends told me he was hit by a pellet round, he explained. His son, who is around 12 or 13 years old, was struck twice in the leg by live ammunition. One of the bullets is lodged in the shin bone. They're terrified of going to hospital to have it removed.
Reports indicate that Iran's regime sees the protests as an existential threat, with a crackdown that appears effective in keeping demonstrators at home due to fear of violence and arrest. Rights groups claim around 2,500 people have been killed in the crackdown.
Nevertheless, some Iranians continue to gather in protests, especially in cities like Fardis and Malard, as well as areas of Tehran, suggesting that the calls for change, especially concerning economic conditions, remain alive. Many express a yearning for basic rights and improved living standards amidst political and economic turmoil in their homeland.
From the border, it's clear that despite heavy repression, the will for change and protest continues within Iran, even if difficult to confirm due to imposed media restrictions.
