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More From Iran: On-the-Ground Footage, Tribute Videos

By Ramya Raghavan

YouTube News and Politics

Last week, we highlighted several videos uploaded straight off the streets of Iran, as protests raged and the Iranian police force, the Basij, cracked down. And if the graphic footage that was uploaded to YouTube by Iranian citizens over the weekend is any indication, it appears the tension between the protesters and the government is not abating.


On Saturday, mass fighting broke out in Tehran -- hundreds were reported injured, and at least several dozen were killed. This video depicts the atmosphere in the nation's capital as similar to that of a war zone. One of the victims of the violence was a young woman named Neda, who was shot and died moments later on camera despite the efforts of protesters at the scene (viewer discretion is advised as this video contains extremely graphic and disturbing images):

Neda's story caught the attention of the international community, and she has quickly become recognized in the media as the "face of the movement," with numerous tribute videos springing up on YouTube.

We're seeing more eyewitness accounts of violence in Tehran uploaded today, including this footage of a police car engulfed in flames and this video, which shows an Iranian student who has been shot during a protest (allegedly by members of the Basij). In light of the particularly graphic nature of the content that is being uploaded, it's important to note that although these pieces won't be taken down, they may be age-restricted to users who are over 18. 

We'll be standing by, as Iranian citizens continue to post videos to YouTube in an effort to share their stories with the world. You can stay on top of the latest news videos from Iran on youtube.com/citizentube.

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