An image circulating online has become a symbol of the latest phase of Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters, showing a pile of abandoned shoes left behind after security forces set fire to a historic bazaar in the northern city of Rasht, trapping demonstrators inside.

The photograph, taken after the Jan. 8 incident, depicts footwear scattered across the ground outside the charred remains of the marketplace. Activists and journalists say the shoes belonged to protesters who had surrendered to authorities before being killed when regime forces ignited the building and opened fire on those attempting to flee.

The incident occurred amid a sweeping escalation by the Islamic Republic following the imposition of a nationwide internet blackout, which effectively cut ordinary Iranians off from the outside world.

“If this is not a crime against humanity, what is?” said Arash Sigarchi, a former political prisoner and managing editor of Voice of America Persian, who shared the image on X. Sigarchi compared the scene to displays at Holocaust memorials documenting mass murder, arguing that the imagery reflects systematic state violence against civilians.

The Norway-based watchdog Iran Human Rights said those killed in Rasht had reportedly surrendered to security forces before the attack. Video footage shared by the organization shows the smoldering remains of the bazaar in the aftermath.

The Rasht killings came as protests that began over rising living costs evolved into the most sustained nationwide challenge to the Islamic Republic in decades. Iranian authorities imposed a near-total internet blackout on Jan. 8, a move activists say coincided with a sharp increase in lethal force.

“The mass killings started right after the internet blackout,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, founder of Iran Human Rights, in comments to the British newspaper The Observer.

Despite the blackout, fragments of video and testimony have continued to emerge. Footage broadcast by VOA’s Persian service shows security forces firing on crowds in Tehran, including at protests near Second Sadeghieh Square, as demonstrators ran for cover.

Rights groups estimate that at least 16,500 protesters have been killed since unrest began last month, with more than 330,000 injured, including bystanders — figures that far exceed the roughly 4,000 deaths independently verified by activist organizations.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)