Iranian protesters fled 'hell' at home, watch war from exile

AI Summary

Iranian Kurdish activist Farhad Sheikhi, who fled to Iraqi Kurdistan after witnessing violent crackdowns on protests, watches from exile as US and Israeli strikes hit Iran. He recalls seeing fellow protesters shot dead and fears for his family still inside Iran. The article highlights the human cost of both domestic repression and international conflict for ordinary Iranians.

Iranian activist Farhad Sheikhi fights back tears as he recalls the crack of gunfire and his fellow protesters falling under a hail of bullets. Now, having fled to Iraq, he watches from afar as American and Israeli strikes pound his country. "I literally saw hell," said the 34-year-old Iranian Kurd in Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan's second city, as he showed AFP photos he took during recent anti-government protests of bodies lying on the bloodied ground. But his biggest worry today is for the safety of his family back home.