Global News Podcast Iran fast tracks protester trials
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Jan 14, 2026 
In this discussion, Lise Doucette, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, gives a harrowing insight into Iran's crackdown on protesters and the fast-tracked trials with death sentences looming. Cheyenne Sadurzadeh highlights the challenges of verifying protest footage across numerous towns. Weira Davies shares how trains in Kyiv offer refuge amid Russian strikes on infrastructure, while Jonathan Head reports on the tragic crane accident in Thailand that claimed many lives. These stories underscore the urgent human impact of global events.
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State Fast-Tracks Trials To Reassert Control
- Iran is fast-tracking trials and using harsh charges like 'waging war against God' to justify death sentences for protesters.
- The state is staging funerals and rallies to signal control while blaming 'foreign enemies' for unrest.
Visual Evidence Contrasts With State Narrative
- Verified reporting shows both large nationwide protests and heavy-handed state responses including deaths and open-air morgues.
- The government broadcasts scenes of corpses to portray protesters as violent, reversing victim narratives.
Verifying Hundreds Of Protest Videos
- Cheyenne Sadurzadeh described verifying over 200 protest videos before Iran's near-total internet blackout.
- She confirmed protests in 68 towns across more than 20 provinces using local sources and video forensics.