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“Every conceivable [military] force, except for the Army, was present on the streets. The Basij forces, plainclothes forces, the IRGC, police, Special Forces, emergency services personnel, and security forces were present on all Tehran streets in a widespread manner. Tehran’s atmosphere felt like a complete state of martial law,” he said about the forces confronting protesters.

Asked whether earlier reports about the presence of minors among the police forces were true, the eyewitness confirmed reports. “It is absolutely true. Adolescent Basij members between the ages of 14 and 16 were equipped with batons, BB guns, and pepper sprays. They were dressed in khaki and black camouflage uniforms and were stationed in different areas of Tehran in a very organized way.”

“I dare say there were hundreds of thousands of people, walking in different areas of Tehran on 1 March. Compared to 14 February, I think the same number of people were present during both days, but there were two major differences with that day. First, that the protest groups only started to form after 6:00 p.m. The other is that the very large presence of police forces, Basijis and plainclothes forces on all main and side roads of the city made it possible in very few spots to walk continuously and chant slogans. As soon as people gathered and yelled their slogans, they attacked them with batons, electric tasers, and tear gas. People ran away and dispersed. The large number of forces a... >>>