Thousands march in Greenland as Trump threatens European tariffs over island purchase

Protests erupted in Greenland on Saturday as demonstrators rejected pressure from President Donald Trump to take over the Arctic island, with protesters chanting that Greenland is “not for sale” and saying they want to determine their own future, Reuters reported.

“We are not interested in being Americans,” one protester said in video during demonstrations in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk.

The protests followed Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, including a Truth Social post made Saturday in which he announced new tariffs on several European countries unless a deal is reached for the island’s purchase by the U.S.

In the post, Trump wrote that Denmark and other European nations would face a 10% tariff beginning Feb. 1, rising to 25% on June 1, and said the tariffs would remain in place “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”

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Some demonstrators wore red baseball caps styled after the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hats worn by Trump supporters, but with the slogan “Make America Go Away.”

In Nuuk, thousands of protesters led by Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen marched toward the U.S. consulate carrying flags and banners while chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat,” the island’s name in Greenlandic, according to Reuters. Nielsen addressed the crowd outside the consulate, drawing loud cheers.

“I’ve come here today because I think it’s important to show that Greenland is not for sale. It is not a toy. This is our home,” Naja Holm, a civil servant, told Reuters.

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Trump has said Greenland is vital to U.S. national security because of its strategic Arctic location and mineral resources, and has warned that China and Russia are seeking influence on the island. He has argued that U.S. control would strengthen Western security in the region.

The dispute has drawn sharp reaction from European leaders. 

Sweden’s prime minister said Europe would not be “blackmailed,” while French President Emmanuel Macron warned that tariff threats were unacceptable and said Europe would respond in a united and coordinated manner in an X post.

“No intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations,” wrote Macron in an X post. “Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond to them in a united and coordinated manner if they were to be confirmed.”

Prime Minister David van Weel of the Netherlands also took to social media in response.

“We have taken note of President Trump’s announcement on tariffs,” van Weel wrote. “Military efforts related to exercises in Greenland are intended to contribute to security in the Arctic region. The Netherlands is in close contact with the @EU_Commission and partners on our response.”

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Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark with a population of about 57,000.

All political parties represented in Greenland’s parliament support eventual independence, but they differ on timing and have said they would prefer to remain part of Denmark rather than become part of the U.S., Reuters reported.

Wealthy hedge fund exec abandons family after shocking affair rocks marriage: memoir

Belle Burden has seemingly led a charmed life: born into a prominent, wealthy New York family, she became a corporate lawyer and went on to marry and have three children.

But in 2020, behind the scenes, her life fell apart when her husband of 21 years, hedge fund executive Henry Davis, told her he wanted a divorce after she learned he was having an affair.

In her new memoir, “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage,” Burden goes into intimate detail about how she discovered the affair and the messy aftermath – and how she survived it all.

NEW YORK HEIRESS BELLE BURDEN RECOUNTS THE VOICEMAIL THAT TORCHED HER HUSBAND’S DOUBLE LIFE: MEMOIR

The voicemail

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down New York City, Burden and her husband, who she refers to as James in her book, made the decision to leave their family home and stay in their house on Martha’s Vineyard.

With their two youngest children, daughters Evie, 15, and Carrie, 12 (their oldest child, son Finn, 17, stayed on Long Island with friends), they began their lockdown like many others, watching the news regularly and trying to navigate the unique situation.

On the evening of March 21, she got a phone call, but let it go to voicemail since she didn’t recognize the number. When she listened to it, she heard a man who she described as sounding nervous, who said, “I’m trying to reach Belle. I’m sorry to tell you this, but your husband is having an affair with my wife.”

She recalled being frozen for a moment, then went to find James, assuming there was some misunderstanding. He had been looking for her at the same time, and when they found each other, she wrote that he took her into the guest bedroom, sat her down, and said, “I promise you, this meant nothing. It’s over. I love you and only you. I’m so sorry. I’m so embarrassed.”

He told her the affair had only been going on a few weeks, and that the woman was a banker he’d met through work. The conversation was interrupted by her younger daughter, and later, Burden sent a text to the man who’d left the voicemail, asking him how long the affair had been going on. 

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She wrote that he texted back with “I think a month. But I can’t text because my wife has tried to kill herself. She’s in an ambulance.”

When she found James again, she said he was on the phone with the woman, and he told her that she’d taken “a few sleeping pills” and would be fine. Burden went through the rest of the night in a bit of a daze, struggling to process everything, and at 6 a.m. the next morning, James came into their bedroom in the same clothes he’d been wearing the night before and told her he decided he wanted a divorce.

Telling the children

After telling her he wanted a divorce, Burden wrote that James left the Martha’s Vineyard home and became distant and cold despite her attempts to communicate with him. He didn’t tell their children goodbye before leaving, he refused therapy, and allegedly texted her, “I’ll answer what I want, when I want. I’ll speak when I want. I’ll decide when I want.”

Despite his reluctance to talk through everything, she wrote that he did tell her that he wanted to people that their decision to divorce was amicable. She refused, and in late April, weeks after he left, she told him that they needed to tell their children the news.

He initially suggested she tell them alone, and she agreed. Later, his boss contacted her, suggested that it was important for James to be their for the conversation. He lent James his private plane so he could return to Martha’s Vineyard from where he was staying in Connecticut.

They told their son first, over the phone, and she said that he hung up at some point during the conversation without either she or James realizing. When he arrived at the house, he told her he only had 90 minutes before he needed to get back on the plane. They gathered in the living room with their daughters, and he told them, “Mom and I are separated and we’re going to divorce. I haven’t been happy.”

Their 12-year-old ran out of the room crying, while their 15-year-old remained silent on the couch. Burden wrote that James then turned to her and said, “I’m starving, can you make me a sandwich?”

She recalled being shocked at the question, but agreed, asking him to go find Carrie. When she was done making the sandwich, she found each of her daughters alone in separate rooms, and James in the basement, going through boxes. When she asked him what he was doing, she said he responded, “I’m looking for our prenup. If you have it, you have to give it to me.”

“I stood there, at the top of the basement stairs, holding the plate, watching him. I told him to stop, to be with the girls during his remaining minutes in the house, but he continued, pulling box after box off the shelves,” she wrote. “His duffel sat open on the floor beside the boxes, ready to receive what he found.”

The prenup had gone missing in the 21 years since they’d first signed it. He gave up the hunt when he had to leave for the airport, and she took her daughters to get takeout after he left.

Later that evening, she got a text from him that read, “That was a great visit!”

Giving up custody

Throughout the book, Burden described the change in James after he told her he wanted a divorce. At times, she wrote that she struggled to recognize him as the man she’d known for decades.

When their children were young, she devoted all her time and energy to raising them while James focused on his career, often joking, “I don’t do bath, bed, or homework.” While he didn’t deal with the daily work of parenting, he did pay attention to them, she wrote, taking them on special outings and trips regularly.

But in one of the conversations they had shortly after he left her, Burden wrote that he told her, “You can have the house and the apartment. You can have custody of the kids. I don’t want it. I don’t want any of it.”

Initially, she and the children stayed in the Martha’s Vineyard house while he stayed in their apartment in the city, but in May 2020, he told her that he’d purchased a new two-bedroom apartment.

She wrote, “I looked at the sales website for the building, at the model two-bedroom floor plan and photos. It looked modern and expensive. But a two-bedroom? Would he be able to fit all three kids in one bedroom? I still thought he would want to make a home for them, that he wouldn’t follow through with his decision to have no custody, no overnights. Even if he refused formal custody, I thought the kids would stay with him now and then, that Carrie would go there after school when she chose to, that she would have a room to sleep in, that he would give her a key.”

When he moved into the apartment in February 2021, he turned the second bedroom into a home office. She said that he kept in touch with the kids through texts and occasionally took them to dinner, “but he continued to refuse a daily role in their lives.”

Burden had her lawyer send James a custody agreement, one that gave them each 50/50 custody, assuming he “would have realized his mistake” in not seeking more time with their children by then. Instead, she wrote, “James returned the document stripped of all his time, including vacations, holidays, weeks during the summer. He included only dinner on Thursday nights.”

She admitted that she believes James genuinely thought he was being “selfless” by not making the official agreement, and that he argued their children were old enough to decide for themselves when they wanted to see him. For bigger moments, like when their son had surgery, she said that he showed up, but “for everyday issues, he responded with irritation.”

Eventually, even the Thursday night dinner stopped, and she stopped trying to press him to spend more time with their children, fearing it was “dangerous” to expose her children to “more hurt, more rejection” from their father.

Court battle

Before Burden met James, she’d signed a contract with her mother, promising to get a prenup before she got married. Two months before her wedding, her family lawyer sent a draft of the agreement to her – in that agreement, anything either brought into the marriage would remain their own in case of divorce, but anything earned during the marriage and anything in joint name would be split.

She said that James was “upset” by the prenup, and she ignored it for weeks, but eventually he suggested an amendment: instead of splitting everything earned during the marriage, they’d only split the things that were under both of their names.

Her lawyer advised against it, telling her it was a “bad idea,” but she insisted, and so that was the way their prenup was designed.

In July 2019, less than a year before their marriage fell apart, Burden and James had a meeting with their lawyer, and one of the things they’d planned on doing was dissolving the prenup because it was no longer fair to her: James had become incredibly successful in his career while she’d put hers on hold to raise the children, and she’d emptied her trusts, which would have been protected regardless of a prenup, to purchase their homes in New York City and Martha’s Vineyard.

She wrote, “He said, ‘Let’s table the prenup for now. We have too many other things to do. Let’s focus on the wills. I want to leave everything to you. Not in trust for the kids.’”

She recalled being “touched” by the notion, but when they met with their lawyer and conversation of the wills came up, he cut the meeting short, saying he had to get back to work.

They never adjusted their wills, nor did they get rid of the prenup, and when he filed for divorce, he continued paying for the family’s expenses, with her providing annotated credit card bills and him approving any bigger purchases. In January 2021, as part of the divorce proceedings, she received a series of documents detailing his earnings throughout the marriage, and she was shocked to find that he was much more financially successful than she knew – not because he ever hid it, she admitted, but just because she hadn’t looked into it.

She and her lawyer filed a counterclaim in the divorce case, although they knew with the prenup they didn’t have much of a chance at being successful with it. In July of that year, the judge dismissed it, and James, who hadn’t brought up the counterclaim to her directly, was “inflamed” that she’d tried to go against him.

“He said he would give me only the minimum child support required by law,” she wrote. “He said I would have to face the consequences of the prenup, of my failed counterclaim.”

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His lawyer sent her a letter, assuming that she’d want to buy James out of his claim on both houses she’d bought with her family trust, which she couldn’t afford to do. At this point, although she’d been struggling greatly with the breakdown of her marriage, things “became very dark,” so much that she began experiencing suicidal ideation.

In October 2021, just an hour before the trial was set to begin, Burden and James were able to reach a settlement. He agreed give up his interest in both of their homes, and he pays child support and covers medical expenses and school tuition. He did keep the money he accumulated during their marriage.

“I don’t know what finally made him decide to settle,” she wrote. “I have several guesses, but I will never know for sure. Maybe he always planned to resolve it before trial, to give me the house and the apartment. But only after he brought me to my knees.”

The aftermath

Burden admitted that she doesn’t know much about James’ life now – she doesn’t know how long he stayed with the other woman, or if he’s still with her. She does know he hasn’t remarried, and that while he is “kind and loving” to their children, he hasn’t had an overnight visit or a vacation or holiday with any of them since he left.

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“I don’t know if he cheated throughout our marriage or if she was his first and only affair,” she admitted. “I don’t know if he made the decision to leave suddenly after being caught, or if he’d carefully planned his exit for years. I don’t know what role the pandemic played. I don’t know how much of it was about money. I don’t know how much of it was about me.”

She added, “I don’t know why he left. I don’t think I ever will.”

Chicken soup vs. tomato soup: Dietitians say one is clearly healthier

January is National Soup Month, and for many Americans, that means reaching for familiar comfort foods like chicken soup or tomato soup — but which one is actually healthier?

The nutritional profile of a bowl or cup of soup can run across the spectrum from healthy to fatty and caloric.

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Vandana Sheth, a plant-based dietitian and diabetes expert who lives in California, said that both soups can be comforting dishes. However, their nutrition profiles can vary widely based on ingredients and preparation. 

“Choose versions with no added sugars, minimal saturated fat and lower sodium to keep them healthy. When able, enjoy homemade or minimally processed options with fresh vegetables, lean protein and other fiber-rich options,” she said.

Chicken soup

Michelle Routhenstein, a New York-based cardiology dietitian, said that a standard serving size of chicken noodle soup (about 1 cup) usually contains around 100–150 calories, with about 6–10 grams of protein and anywhere from 500 milligrams to more than 1500 milligrams of sodium. 

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Beyond the numbers, Routhenstein said homemade chicken soup can provide lean protein, B vitamins and immune-supporting zinc.

Some studies suggest that chicken soup may help ease cold symptoms like nasal congestion and may have anti-inflammatory effects.

Still, not all chicken soups are created equal. Commercially prepared and even homemade versions can be high in sodium, which may negatively affect blood pressure, Routhenstein said.

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When buying premade chicken soup, she recommends checking labels for sodium content under 500 milligrams per serving and watching for added sugars and flavorings.

Similarly, when chicken soup is made with lean chicken, vegetables and a light broth, it can be a nutrient-rich option, Sheth said.

Sheth advises choosing broth-based soups with lean chicken and plenty of vegetables and limiting or avoiding cream-based varieties, which tend to be higher in saturated fat.

Tomato soup

Meanwhile, tomato soup offers a different nutritional profile.

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“Per 1 cup serving, you will get 70–150 calories depending on [whether] it’s broth-based or cream-based, lycopene and vitamins A and C, which can help support eye health and immunity,” Sheth said, noting that sodium content can range from 400 to 900 milligrams, especially with canned versions. 

Compared to chicken soup, tomato soup trails on the protein scale, Sheth said.

Routhenstein highlighted lycopene as one of tomato soup’s biggest benefits, noting that the antioxidant “may help with reducing inflammation, heart disease and immune health.”

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“Lycopene has also been studied for its benefit [in reducing the] risk of prostate cancer. Tomato soup is also rich in vitamin C and potassium, which also protect heart and immune health,” she added. 

As with chicken soup, both dietitians stress the importance of keeping sodium and added sugars low.

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Sheth recommends choosing packaged tomato soups where whole tomatoes make up the majority of ingredients to maximize nutrients.

Which is healthier?

If she had to choose, Routhenstein said she would opt for tomato soup, emphasizing its antioxidant content, while noting that preparation and ingredients make a significant difference.

Sheth said both soups can fit into a healthy diet when chosen carefully.

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“Chicken soup can be a better option when it comes to protein and keeping you feeling full,” she said. 

“Tomato soup is loaded with antioxidants and, while it’s lower in protein, you can enjoy a bowl of tomato soup with a protein-rich side for a balanced meal.” 

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Her bottom line: Choose lower-sodium versions at the store or make soup at home to better control salt and ingredients.

Nickelodeon actress struck twice in fatal NYC crash as both drivers flee scene: police

Former Nickelodeon child star Kianna Underwood was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn early Friday, according to the New York Police Department, Fox News Digital can confirm. She was 33.

Police said Underwood was struck by an SUV while crossing an intersection in the Brownsville neighborhood, then hit again by a second vehicle. Both drivers fled the scene and remain unidentified.

“On Friday, January 16, 2026, at approximately 6:43 a.m., police responded to a 9-1-1 call of a pedestrian struck at Pitkin Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard within the confines of the 73rd Precinct,” a DCPI spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

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Investigators said the crash unfolded as a black SUV approached the intersection. “Further investigation by the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad determined that a black 2021 Ford Explorer SUV, operated by an unidentified individual, was traveling westbound on Pitkin Avenue with a green light signal …”

Police said the driver then made a dangerous turn, crossing into oncoming traffic to pass another vehicle. “It crossed over the double yellow line and traveled counterflow … and struck a 33-year-old woman who was attempting to cross Pitkin Avenue.”

Authorities said Underwood was in the crosswalk at the time of the collision. After the initial impact, police said Underwood was hit a second time while lying in the roadway.

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“As the pedestrian was lying on the roadway, she was subsequently struck by a black-and-gray sedan operated by an unidentified individual.” Both drivers fled the scene before police arrived, according to investigators.

Emergency medical services pronounced Underwood dead at the scene. No arrests have been made.

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Police said the investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad.

Underwood was best known for her work as a child actor on Nickelodeon, appearing on the network’s hit sketch comedy series “All That” in 2005. She also voiced the character Fuchsia Glover on the Nick Jr. animated series “Little Bill” from 1999 to 2004.

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She later spent a year performing as Little Inez on the first national tour of the Broadway musical “Hairspray.”

“All That” was Underwood’s final credited acting role. The long-running Nickelodeon series helped launch the careers of major stars, including Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson and Amanda Bynes.

Bills star QB addresses viral photo of wife wearing Broncos gear before playoff game

Long before Hailee Steinfeld was married to Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen, she was donning Denver Broncos gear during that team’s Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers in 2016.

With the Bills and Broncos squaring off in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday, Steinfeld’s picture from 10 years ago resurfaced on social media. CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson asked Allen about the viral picture.

“Asked Josh about this pic and he told me he had no idea it was floating around. Laughed and said she was probably paid to be there. And that he definitely wasn’t going to bring it up at home,” Wolfson posted on X.

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Allen and Steinfeld got married in June 2025, and announced they were expecting their first child together in December 2025.

Last week was eventful for the couple, as Allen led the Bills to a Wild Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars while Steinfeld presented an award at the Golden Globes. Steinfeld starred in ‘Sinners,’ which was up for seven awards, and won Best Original Score — Motion Picture and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.

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Allen was sensational in the Bills’ 27-24 win over the Jaguars last week. The reigning MVP completed 28 of his 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 33 yards and two touchdowns.

With the Bills down four points with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Allen led a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive to help seal the win.

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It was the first road playoff win of Allen’s career. If the four-time Pro Bowler hopes to make it to his first career Super Bowl, he will have to take down the Broncos on the road next.

The No. 6-seeded Bills take on the top-seeded Broncos at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Nicole Scherzinger shares new bikini photos and vacation moments with fiancé Thom Evans

Nicole Scherzinger is leaving little to the imagination with a new batch of bikini photos.

The 47-year-old singer and actress posted a series of bikini pictures from her time at the beach, captioning the post, “saltwater therapy 🩵.”

Some of the photos show Scherzinger standing in crystal clear water in a blue bikini and include shots of her splashing the camera with water, turning her back toward the camera and one of her with her fiancé, former Scottish rugby player Thom Evans.

She also posted photos of her in a black bikini and large sunhat holding two empty glasses of wine as she gets out of the water, flashing a smile at the camera in one and pursing her lips in the other.

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Scherzinger also showed off her athletic side, posting a photo of herself on a paddleboard in a third orange patterned bikini.

That same bikini can be seen in the remainder of the photos, which include her basking in the sun while standing in the ocean and posing on the edge of an infinity pool and smiling.

Interspersed with the bikini photos were pictures and videos of all the food she ate while on vacation and the picturesque scenery around her.

“I’ll never get bored of Nicole scherzinger beach content 🥰,” one fan wrote in the comments section. Another added, “Gorgeous! Seriously need links to your bikinis. So cute.”

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“Happiness looks gorgeous on you❤️,” a third fan wrote.

The star posted bikini photos from her vacation in the Maldives last week, which also included her fiancé, and teased fans about her upcoming wedding.

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Evans and Scherzinger first met in 2019 when she was acting as a judge on “The X Factor: Celebrity” in the U.K. and made their relationship red carpet official in January 2020 at the InStyle & Warner Bros. Golden Globe Afterparty.

“He’s just my partner in crime,” she told Extra in November 2020. “He’s my best friend, and we love to laugh together. We are real big goofballs. We laugh together, we dance together, we sing together, we cook together. He’s my man, my life, my dreams.”

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The two announced their engagement in June 2023 with separate Instagram posts showcasing the beachside proposal. He captioned his post, “My Ever After,” while she captioned hers, “I said yes.”

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US military eliminates terrorist leader linked to American deaths in Syria

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday a leader affiliated with al Qaeda, who had direct ties to an ISIS terrorist responsible for killing two U.S. service members and an American interpreter on Dec. 13, was killed in a U.S. strike in northwest Syria on Friday.

CENTCOM officials said Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was “directly connected” with the ISIS gunman who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel last month in Palmyra, Syria.

“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper. “There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”

CENTCOM launched large-scale strikes in Syria in response to the Dec. 13 attack.

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Operation Hawkeye Strike resulted in U.S. and partner forces hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons site targets with over 200 precision munitions.

More than 300 ISIS operatives were captured and more than 20 were killed across Syria within the past year, according to CENTCOM.

U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus on Jan. 10 to discuss recent developments in Aleppo and the broader path forward for Syria’s historic transition.

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In a statement on X, Barrack said President Donald Trump agreed to lift sanctions in order to “give Syria a chance” to move forward. 

“The United States Government welcomes Syria’s historic transition and extends its support to the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa as it works to stabilize the country, rebuild national institutions, and fulfill the aspirations of all Syrians for peace, security, and prosperity,” Barrack wrote in the post.

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He added Syrian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the March 2025 integration agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), but called developments in Aleppo that “appear to challenge the terms of this agreement,” deeply concerning.

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“We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue in accordance with the March 10 and April 1, 2025 agreements between the Syrian government and the SDF,” Barrack wrote. “Violence risks undermining the progress achieved since the fall of the Assad regime and invites external interference that serves no party’s interests. … The objective remains a sovereign, unified Syria—at peace with itself and its neighbors—where equality, justice, and opportunity are extended to all its people.”

Construction workers flee Border Patrol by jumping across roofs in California

Dramatic video shows several illegal immigrants scrambling across rooftops in California as they try to flee federal immigration agents during an enforcement operation at a small construction site.

The frantic footage shows two individuals scaling a ladder onto the roof of a home in Montebello on Wednesday, shortly after authorities pulled up outside the single-story house. Montebello is a city in Los Angeles County

One of the individuals appeared to try to knock the ladder to the ground in an apparent attempt to prevent agents from following, but an officer caught the ladder and propped it back against the house. 

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The illegal immigrants then split up, leaping onto separate nearby rooftops as they fled.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the incident occurred during a U.S. Border Patrol enforcement operation in the Montebello area.

“These operations resulted in the arrest of five illegal aliens from Mexico and Guatemala, who have all broken the immigration laws of this country,” a DHS spokesperson said. “These individuals will remain in custody pending further immigration proceedings.”

Local outlet ABC7 reported that the workers’ boss initially claimed no one had been detained. DHS, however, later confirmed to Fox News Digital that five individuals were arrested during the operation.

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DHS said the enforcement activity was carried out as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration.

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The incident comes as the White House moves to carry out what officials have described as the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, a policy that has sparked backlash in sanctuary cities and other Democratic-led jurisdictions.

Iranian escapees reveal ‘medieval’ torture used on anti-regime activists

As protests spread across Iran and security forces intensify their crackdown, former political prisoners are warning that what is visible on the streets represents only a fraction of the violence unfolding behind prison walls.

In interviews with Fox News Digital, three former detainees described a system designed not just to punish dissent, but to break it through solitary confinement, beatings, medical neglect and threats of execution. 

Their accounts span nearly two decades, from the 2009 uprising to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the current wave of unrest, pointing to what they describe as a consistent and escalating pattern of abuse.

Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the faces of the “Girls of Revolution Street” protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, was sentenced to one year in prison in March 2018 for what authorities described as “encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.”

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Speaking this week, Shariatmadari said the scale of the current protests has pushed the regime beyond its capacity to detain demonstrators.

“According to the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic … are delivering ‘final shots’ to wounded protesters, killing them on the spot,” she said. “This has been unprecedented over the past 47 years and indicates that the number of detainees has become so large that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to hold them and is killing them without any form of trial.”

She said that while detainees in earlier uprisings were transferred to prisons or unofficial “safe houses,” authorities expanded detention during the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests to schools, ambulances and food transport vehicles.

“They used ambulances and food transport vehicles to detain protesters, something I believe to be unprecedented in human history,” Shariatmadari said.

IRAN PROTESTS SPARK REGIME SURVIVAL QUESTION AS EXILED DISSIDENT SAYS IT FEELS LIKE A ‘REVOLUTION’

She described systematic abuse Inside detention centers.

“These include beatings, transfers to prisons without separation based on the type of offense and the deliberate incitement of other inmates to harass and abuse us,” she said.

One of her most traumatic experiences occurred during interrogation.

“I was ordered to remove my clothes and remain completely naked for a body search while cameras were present,” Shariatmadari said. “I knew that men were watching me, and I could hear their voices.”

She also recalled being denied urgent medical care after an injury.

“Only after approximately 24 hours was I taken to a hospital to undergo surgery,” she said. “I believe this happened as a result of media pressure and public support.”

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Eight hours a day, blindfolded

Shariatmadari’s husband, Mehdi Ghadimi, a freelance journalist who worked with reformist newspapers Etemad and Shargh, was arrested in January 2023 during protests and taken to an undisclosed location. He spent nearly his entire detention in solitary confinement.

“I was interrogated twice daily, morning and afternoon, for eight hours with my eyes blindfolded,” Ghadimi said.

In the final days of his detention, he was transferred to a shared cell, where he encountered detainees from across Iranian society.

“I encountered students, workers, technical specialists and others who had been arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement,” he said.

According to Ghadimi, detainees accused of supporting the Pahlavi dynasty were beaten more severely.

“Because their slogans and symbols supported the Pahlavi dynasty, they were beaten far more than the others,” he said.

Based on his experience, he warned that current detainees are likely to face even harsher treatment.

“I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment,” Ghadimi said, adding that Iran’s judiciary chief has publicly signaled a hard line.

Ghadimi, who fled the country in 2024, also cited figures circulating among activists claiming well over the 2,600 detainees reported, likely dwarfing that number. He said the number of detainees is likely far higher than the 10,000 reported.

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“On the other side of those bars is hell”

Shabnam Madadzadeh, who was imprisoned during the 2009 uprising, said watching the current protests has revived memories of extreme brutality and raised fears of mass executions.

“What immediately comes to my mind is the regime’s sheer brutality in torture and killing,” Madadzadeh said.

She said detention centers were already overflowing during the 2009 protests.

“There was no space left for detainees. Even the solitary cells were overflowing with people,” she said.

Madadzadeh recalled interrogators accusing nearly everyone arrested of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq and described torture and beatings “to the point of killing.”

One threat made during her interrogation still haunts her.

“He told me, ‘If we are going to be overthrown, we will kill all of you. We will leave no one alive,’” she said.

She warned that the current internet blackout has heightened the danger for detainees.

“We truly do not know what level of brutality is currently taking place inside the prisons,” Madadzadeh said, adding that information reaching her suggests the regime is seeking to carry out executions quickly.

Citing Iran’s past, she warned of the risk of mass killings similar to the 1988 executions of political prisoners.

“Today, at a moment when the regime is on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger that such a massacre could be repeated,” she said.

Madadzadeh said young detainees are likely facing forced confessions, mock executions and threats of sexual violence.

“Whatever I do to you, no one will hear your voice,” an interrogator once told her, she recalled.

She also emphasized the suffering of families searching for loved ones.

“Families are moving between detention centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries,” she said. “This uncertainty itself is the greatest form of torture.”

As the protests continue, all three former prisoners said the outside world must not look away.

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“The first thing I expect the free world to understand is the true voice of the people inside Iran,” Shariatmadari said. “The people of Iran are united in their demand for regime change and want to restore Iran to its former dignity, a dignity in which human rights and human worth were respected.”

Ghadimi echoed that warning.

“Without a doubt, when the regime displays such open violence in the streets, even worse atrocities occur behind prison walls,” he said. “I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment.”

For Madadzadeh, the danger is immediate.

“The world must respond decisively to this brutality,” she said. “Every minute of delay costs lives.”

She called for international action.

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“Force the regime to allow independent visits to prisons and to the secret detention centers run by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence,” Madadzadeh said. “Lives depend on it.”

Together, their testimony paints a stark picture of Iran’s prisons as the hidden front line of repression and a warning that what remains unseen may be even more deadly than what is already visible in the streets.