Eyewitnesses recount Rasht massacre amid Iran’s 2026 protests
Amid Iran’s 2026 nationwide protests, Rasht’s Grand Bazaar became a deadly flashpoint after the internet blackout. Witnesses describe massive crowds converging on Shariati Street and the bazaar, the market catching fire, and security forces and masked, plainclothes units firing on those fleeing the flames and trapping people inside. Hospitals reported hundreds of burn injuries and numerous gunshot victims as firefighters were allegedly blocked from entering. Families struggled to retrieve bodies, with some buried or hidden to avoid further persecution. Rights groups condemn the episode as a crime against humanity and a stark example of the crackdown across the country, as the Guardian reconstructs the events with witness accounts and hospital testimony.
