U.S, Jan. 14 -- eTurboNews remains connected to on-the-ground reporting from Iran, where witnesses say the situation is rapidly deteriorating. Residents and activists describe snipers firing at anyone visible outdoors, families being forced to pay to retrieve the bodies of loved ones, and civilians being compelled into armed roles against their own neighbors.

Unofficial numbers now say more than 20,000 people have been killed so far.

At the center of many allegations is the Basij, a force the government portrays as volunteer-based but which activists say is increasingly sustained through coercion.

A Country in Revolt, a Nation Cut Off As night fell across Iran, protests reportedly reignited in multiple cities, defying official claims t...