Who are the Bassiji and where do they come from?
Who pays them?
I can’t make sense of the websites provided when I goggle “Bassiji.”
The Basiji are volunteers. They are not paid, but are provided with some basic things like transport and clothes. Their duties are comparable to the National Guard in the US. They are called up when needed. They do security work for the govt - thus fighting protestors - but also more ordinary work such as digging up after earthquakes. They are usually young working class men with few employment options. Service as a basiji gives them the possibility of later on getting a paid position in the Revolutionary Guards, and other govt corps.
The Basij are either imported Syrians, Lebanese,(Hizbullah,) or palestinian foreign street thugs to Iran who do not understand Farsi, for the most part, so they will be less inclined to show compassion if they don’t understand the pleas. Some are the underclass Iranians who will accept blood money no matter where it comes from. They are paid by the regime and are indiscriminate in their use of barbaric tactics. They will just as soon crack the skulls of helpless small children as they would young men who would fight back.