Iran Protests: Iranian security forces fired on unarmed youths during protests in Malekshahi and raided an Ilam hospital to detain the wounded.
Security Forces Storm Hospital in Malekshahi
Iranian security forces killed at least four protesters and wounded dozens during violent demonstrations in Malekshahi, Ilam province, on January 3, 2026. The following day, forces raided Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, the provincial capital, where many of the wounded had been taken, and used tear gas and stormed wards to detain injured individuals. The hospital raid, amid nationwide protests fueled by economic grievances, has been widely condemned as a violation of medical neutrality.
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Human rights monitors, including the Kurdistan Human Rights Network and Hengaw, confirmed the deaths in Malekshahi were caused by bullets fired by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The names of those killed include Reza Azimzadeh, Farez Aghamohammadi, Latif Karimi, and Mehdi Emamipour. More than 30 others were wounded and subsequently taken to Ilam for treatment.
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Widespread Unrest in Western Iran
The protests in Malekshahi began with crowds chanting anti-government slogans outside a local government building. Security forces responded with live fire, leading to clashes. State-affiliated media initially described the violence as an attack on a police station by protesters, but eyewitnesses and human rights groups reported that unarmed protesters faced lethal force.
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The following day, January 4, security personnel stormed Imam Khomeini Hospital. Reports indicate that forces broke down doors, fired tear gas canisters inside, beat staff, and searched for and arrested injured protesters. Videos verified by outlets such as BBC Persian show chaos at the facility, with patients and medical staff affected.
These events occurred on the eighth and ninth days of nationwide protests that began in late December 2025 over a currency crisis and inflation. Malekshahi and Ilam emerged as flashpoints in the Kurdish-majority west, with demonstrations spreading to more than 100 cities.
Students from Birjand University in Iran took to the streets to protest against the Islamic regime. pic.twitter.com/IvaAYHDSnd
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Outrage over hospital raid and killings
Opposition figures and exiled leaders described the actions as crimes against humanity.
Journalist and activist Masih Alinejad described the hospital attack as regime forces firing on civilians and the wounded.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi compared the Malekshahi shootings and hospital raid to the bloody Friday massacre in Zahedan in 2022, stating that the regime lacks legitimacy.
International reactions included the US State Department calling the hospital attack a “barbaric” crime against humanity. Reformist voices inside Iran demanded accountability for the security personnel involved. No official denial came from the government, although President Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the hospital incident.
(With agency input)