Category: Uncategorized

Financial Times – Iranians are in uproar after a programme on state television joked about the corpses of those killed in the recent demonstrations, highlighting seething rage towards the country’s rulers following its most violent episode in decades.

In the segment, which was aired on Sunday on the political satire show Khat-Khati, the presenter poses a mock multiple-choice question in response to speculation that the Islamic republic was hiding the bodies of the dead.

“Which kind of refrigerator do you think the Islamic republic is using to preserve the corpses?” the presenter says. “1. Side-by-side refrigerators 2. Ice cream makers 3. Supermarket freezers 4. ‘I am an ice vendor. Don’t ruin my business!’”

The viral video has sparked widespread outrage among the public and activists and drawn criticism from reformist and conservative media outlets alike, striking a nerve at a time of national grief.

Iranian officials have put the toll from the weeks-long demonstrations, which were suppressed in a brutal crackdown last month, at more than 3,000, blaming the unrest on armed agitators.

But human rights groups overseas have estimated it to be many times higher, with the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency saying more than 6,000 people have been confirmed killed, including 214 members of the security forces. It has said another 11,000 deaths were under investigation.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said it dismissed the director of the TV channel that aired the show, Ofogh, and took the programme off air.

Tehran’s prosecutor on Monday also announced the channel’s director, host and producers would face legal action. Mohammad Hossein Mohebbi, the show’s host, offered an apology while claiming he was made the subject of a smear campaign with an out-of-context video clip.

The measures do not appear to have appeased critics, with growing calls for the dismissal of IRIB’s chief Peyman Jebelli. Reza Rashidpour, a well-known media personality and a former TV host, launched an online campaign on Monday for Jebelli’s dismissal.

Many Iranians accused the show of crossing a red line, with news agencies and activists denouncing the channel as “a hate-generating machine” run by a “bunch of narrow-minded, bigoted people lacking basic social literacy”.

“Every single one of those who are not with us today, whether their numbers exceed 3,000 by our account or 30,000 by the enemy’s account, are all our compatriots,” hardline newspaper Qods wrote on Monday. “Shame on anyone who calls themselves Iranian but remembers their deceased compatriots with buffoonery.”

IRIB, which is dominated by a radical hardline ideology, has in the past sparked public ire with insensitive and incendiary commentaries, and is criticised by many Iranians for serving as a propaganda arm of the regime.

The protests, which began in December over economic distress, spiralled into the most serious domestic challenge to the Islamic republic since the 1979 revolution, with many demonstrators calling to overthrow the regime before the unrest was suppressed.

President Masoud Pezeshkian’s office has begun publishing the names of those killed, inviting families to submit missing names with national identification numbers in an attempt to rebut higher casualty claims.

But the ensuing anger towards the regime has triggered a series of cultural and sporting boycotts in the country.

A number of prominent figures, such as film director Saeed Zamanian, scriptwriter Saleh Alavizadeh and musician Sohrab Pournazeri, have boycotted Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival, held annually to mark the anniversary of the revolution.

Pournazeri wrote on Instagram on Saturday that taking part in any festival would be “trampling the blood of our youth” and that he was standing alongside the “bereaved” Iranian people to “mourn the loss of our loved ones”.

Elnaz Shakerdoost, an actor, also announced late on Monday that she was quitting acting in protest at the recent killings. “My soul cannot bear the burden of this horrific historic tragedy,” she wrote on Instagram. “I will no longer take part in any celebration, nor will I ever play a role on this soil that reeks of blood.”

In recent days, two members of the national women’s football team, Zahra Alizadeh and Kowsar Kamali, as well as national basketball player Behnam Yakhchali and handball player Mohammadreza Oraei, have withdrawn from their national teams.

“At a time when every corner of my beloved country is in grief and despair, I feel I can no longer play like I used to,” Alizadeh wrote on her Instagram page. “Today, standing alongside my people matters to me more than anything else.”

The post Iran backlash after state media mocks dead protesters appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

CBC – A large crowd of demonstrators shut down a swath of the downtown core Sunday in solidarity with protesters in Iran, who are fighting against the country’s financial collapse and the regime that led to it.

Nationwide protests in Iran started Dec. 28 in response to soaring prices, then turned into wider anti-government protests against the clerical rulers who have governed the country for nearly 50 years.

At the same time, tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators have taken to the streets in a show of power, in response to protesters challenging the country’s theocracy.

Pooria Shafia, a Toronto-based engineer who attended Sunday’s protest, says he’s concerned about his relatives that still live in Iran.

“Every time I try to ask my cousin to see if he was able to contact them, I couldn’t bring myself to [do] it because I was just afraid of what the response would be,” he told CBC Toronto Sunday.

“You want to know how people are doing, but at the same time you’re always worried. What if the news that I hear is not something that I was prepared for?”

The protest in Toronto, which made its way from Sankofa Square to Queen’s Park, advocated in part for democratic elections in Iran.

“Well over 100,000 demonstrators” attended the protest on Sunday, Toronto police said in a statement to CBC Toronto. In a series of social media posts, the Toronto Police Service warned of delays and road closures during the afternoon demonstration in the area.

In an update on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, Toronto Police said there were 150,000 demonstrators and “zero incidents” at the protest on Sunday.

Demonstrators also voiced they would like to see action from the Canadian government, including putting in place measures that weaken the regime, deporting Islamic Republic officials in Canada and ensuring negotiations don’t take place between the theocracy and United Nations members.

Number of deaths in crackdown unconfirmed

Global Affairs Canada declined to comment on whether any measures will be enacted against Iran and instead referred CBC Toronto to previously published statements and a social media post in which they condemned the killings of protestors and commended the bravery of the Iranian people.

The European Union recently designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran’s armed forces, as a terrorist organization. Canada did the same in June 2024.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a network inside Iran to verify its information, reports that more than 49,500 people have been detained in the crackdown.

It says the violence killed at least 6,713 people, the vast majority of them demonstrators. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll and arrest figures, given that authorities have cut off Iran’s internet from the rest of the world.

As of Jan. 21, Iran’s government put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, labelling the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.

Canadians urged to protest

The diaspora is trying to be the voice of Iranian people, said Morvarid Sadinejad, who is also an engineer in Toronto and attended the downtown protest.

“There is a huge crime against humanity happening and we should not be closing our eyes on it,” she said. “We’re devastated. We are heartbroken. We are going through a collective trauma.”

While Sadinejad says she’s “furious” about what’s happening in Iran, some hope still remains.

“People are chanting, people are clapping, playing music. They are not sad. We don’t have time to mourn now. We will go back and mourn these lost lives, but right now … we are in a war with the regime,” she said.

Sadinejad says her ask for non-Iranian Canadians is for the focus to be on humanity, rather than ideology.

“We don’t want them to observe the protests, we want them to join the protests. We want them to be the voice of the voiceless,” she said. “Would they have been silent if it was their loved ones, their families, their friends?”

Shafia says he wants people of all backgrounds and religions to come together and “be the voice of the oppressed.”

“There has been unfortunately deafening silence coming from the people who have been talking about human rights, who have been talking about massacres, genocides that have happened around the world in the past,” he said. “But they’re awfully quiet when it comes to Iran.”

He added it’s been difficult to live life normally in Canada knowing all that’s going on back home.

“A lot of us here have our jobs, we are working as a part of the society,” he said. “But at the same time we know that something horrible, horrible, absolutely horrendous is happening inside Iran and it makes it really hard for us to function.”

The post Thousands rally in downtown Toronto in solidarity with Iranian protesters appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

CBS News – Iran’s supreme leader warned that any attack on the country by the United States would spark a “regional war” in the Middle East, following President Trump’s threats to intervene militarily in response to the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on recent nationwide protests.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments, made while speaking to a crowd at his compound in Tehran and as quoted by the Tasnim news agency, are the most direct threat he’s made so far since the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group arrived in international waters off Iran, in the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Trump has also mentioned his desire to curb Iran’s nuclear program in his recent remarks, but it remains unclear whether Mr. Trump will use force. He has repeatedly said Iran wants to negotiate.

U.S. regional allies, including Turkey and Qatar, are hastily working to arrange a diplomatic offramp to avert U.S. military action in Iran. A potential meeting in Turkey this week is being planned, although a senior U.S. official tells CBS that it is unclear whether the U.S. will participate and who would attend the meeting with the Iranians.

He had said he wanted to continue negotiations last year before then deciding to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last June, supporting Israel’s 12-day war with the country. On Saturday, Mr. Trump declined to say whether he’d decided on what he wanted to do regarding Iran now.

In Tehran, Khamenei claimed that the U.S. is interested in the country’s oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. He said the Americans wanted to “seize this country, just as they controlled it before.”

“The Americans must be aware that if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war,” he said.

The supreme leader added that: “We are not the instigators, we are not going to be unfair to anyone, we don’t plan to attack any country. But if anyone shows greed and wants to attack or harass, the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to them.”

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at the wedding of Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff, and Erin Elmore, the director of art in embassies at the U.S. Department of State, at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Mr. Trump reacted to Khamenei’s comments, saying: “Of course he is going to say that.”

“We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close couple of days, and hopefully we’ll make a deal. We don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right,” Mr. Trump said.

Khamenei also hardened his position on the recent demonstrations after earlier acknowledging some protesters had had legitimate economic grievances. The demonstrations began Dec. 28, initially over the collapse of Iran’s rial currency. It soon grew into a direct challenge to Khamenei’s rule.

“The recent sedition was similar to a coup,” he said. “Of course, the coup was suppressed. Their goal was to destroy sensitive and effective centers involved in running the country, and for this reason they attacked the police, government centers, (Revolutionary Guard) facilities, banks and mosques — and burned copies of the Quran. They targeted centers that run the country.”

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a network of sources inside Iran to gather its information, says it has verified the deaths of 6,713 people, most of them demonstrators, and that the authorities have detained at least 49,500 people so far. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll and arrest figures, given that authorities have cut Iran’s internet off from the rest of the world. Other sources have told CBS News and other media that the actual death toll across the country is substantially higher.

As of Jan. 21, Iran’s government put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, labeling the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

Even this government figure exceeds the death toll reported from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.

Iran has planned a live-fire military drill for Sunday and Monday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. The U.S. military’s Central Command, which is the Pentagon’s regional combatant command for the Middle East, has warned against threatening American warships or aircraft during the drill or disrupting commercial traffic.

The post U.S. regional allies push diplomatic offramp as Iran’s supreme leader warns of “regional war” in Middle East if U.S. attacks appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

CNN – An Iranian man who was detained in connection to anti-government protests and reportedly sentenced to death has been released on bail, according to a rights group and Iranian state media.

Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested last month as demonstrations roiled the country, sparking a violent crackdown by authorities. He was detained on January 10 at his home in Fardis, a city about 25 miles west of Tehran, and charged with “assembly and collusion against the country’s internal security” as well as “propaganda activities” against the regime, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.

Following his arrest, the US State Department and one of Soltani’s relatives said Iranian authorities planned to execute Soltani, but Iran’s judiciary dismissed those reports as “fabricated news,” according to IRIB.

Soltani’s family later said his execution was postponed, and US President Donald Trump said he had received assurances “on good authority” that there was no plan for executions in Iran amid fears for Soltani’s fate. Trump has warned Iran against executing protesters, saying the US would “take strong action.”

On Saturday, Soltani was released on bail, according to Hengaw, a Norway-based human rights organization. Iranian state media outlet Press TV also confirmed Soltani’s release in a post on Telegram.

Soltani’s precarious fate became one of the most high profile cases internationally during the huge anti-government protests that convulsed Iran last month. Iran’s security forces responded with a brutal crackdown as well as a lengthy internet shutdown nationwide.

On January 19, CNN reported that Soltani was in good physical health and had been able to meet with his family, according to Hengaw and one of his relatives.

Soltani’s relative, identified as Somayeh, said Soltani is an “incredibly kind and warm-hearted young man” who has “always fought for the freedom of Iran” in an interview with CNN last month.

More than 6,400 protesters have been killed and over 1,000 arrested since the protests broke out last month, according to recent reports by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which added a further 11,280 deaths are under review. CNN cannot independently verify HRANA’s numbers.

Despite the internet shutdown, details of the brutal crackdown continued to emerge with witnesses, human rights activists and medical professionals telling CNN that security forces unleashed widespread violence against protesters.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged that thousands of Iranians were killed during more than two weeks of unrest — but blamed some of the deaths on Trump, who he said “openly encouraged” the protesters by promising them US “military support.”

As the protests raged, Trump encouraged Iranians to keep up the demonstrations and “take over” the country’s institutions, assuring them that “help is on its way.” However, no military action came during the protests or subsequent crackdown.

Instead, Trump is now weighing a major strike on Iran after negotiations about limiting the nation’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed to make progress, people familiar with the matter told CNN. The US has also built up its military presence in the region.

In a post to Truth Social Wednesday, Trump demanded Iran come to the table to negotiate “a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS,” warning the next US attack on the country “will be far worse” than the one it carried out last summer against three of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN on Sunday he is “confident that we can achieve a deal” with the US on Tehran’s weapons program. However, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, struck a defiant tone, warning a US attack would face a strong retaliation.

“The Americans should know that if they initiate a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he told a crowd at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini mosque Sunday.

Iran has one of the world’s highest execution rates and has previously put multiple protesters to death after periods of large-scale demonstrations and unrest.

The post Iranian protester Erfan Soltani released on bail following fears of execution, reports say appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) – Iran’s supreme leader has warned that any attack by the United States would spark a “regional war” in the Middle East, further escalating tensions as US President Donald Trump threatens military action over the Iranian government’s crackdown on recent nationwide protests.

The comments from the 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday are the most direct threat he has made so far and follow the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and other American warships to the Arabian Sea, where they were sent by Mr Trump after Tehran’s deadly response to the anti-government protests.

Trump has repeatedly said Iran wants to negotiate and has brought up Tehran’s nuclear program as an issue he wants to see resolved.

But Mr Khamenei referred to the nationwide protests as “a coup”, hardening the government’s position amid the reported detainment of tens of thousands of people since the start of the demonstrations.

Sedition charges in Iran can carry the death penalty, sparking renewed concerns about Tehran carrying out mass executions for those arrested — a red line for Mr Trump.

“Of course, the coup was suppressed,” Mr Khamenei said.

“Their goal was to destroy sensitive and effective centres involved in running the country and for this reason they attacked the police, government centres, [Revolutionary Guard] facilities, banks and mosques — and burned copies of the Koran. They targeted centres that run the country.”

Mr Khamenei warned that a US attack would trigger a broader conflict.

Asked about the Iranian leader’s warning, Mr Trump told reporters: “Of course he is going to say that.”

“Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right,” he said.

EU lists Guard Corps as terrorist organisation

The demonstrations in Iran began as an expression of discontent at the high cost of living, but grew into a mass anti-government movement that the country’s leaders have described as “riots” stoked by the US and Israel.

As tensions heightened between Iran and the US, Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was concerned about “miscalculations” but said he believed  MrTrump was “wise enough to make the correct decision”.

Mr Araghchi said Iran had lost trust in the US as a negotiating partner, adding that some countries in the region were acting as intermediaries to rebuild trust.

“So I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons,” he said in an interview with CNN.

Tehran has acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests, and on Sunday the presidency published a list of 2,986 names out of the 3,117 that authorities said were killed in the unrest.

Of the total, 131 are yet to be identified but their details will be released soon, it said in a statement.

Authorities say most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts”.

However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed 6,713 deaths, mostly of protesters.

The response prompted the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, and Iranian politicians retaliated on Sunday by slapping the same designation on European armies.

Members of parliament wore the green uniform of the IRGC in a display of solidarity at the legislative session, during which they chanted “Death to America”, “Death to Israel” and “Shame on you, Europe”, state television footage showed.

It remained unclear what immediate impact the decision would have.

The step matched similar classifications enacted by the US, Canada and Australia.

US warships sent to Middle East

Mr Trump said that dialogue was taking place and said “we’ll see what happens”, but did not withdraw his earlier threats.

Mr Trump previously said he believed Iran would make a deal over its nuclear and missile programs rather than face military action.

Tehran, meanwhile, has said it is ready for nuclear talks if its missile and defence capabilities are not on the agenda.

The US Navy has six destroyers, one aircraft carrier and three littoral combat ​ships ⁠in the region.

Mr Trump has laid out two red lines for military action: the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained in the crackdown.

He has increasingly begun discussing Iran’s nuclear program, over which the US negotiated with Tehran in multiple sessions before Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran in June.

The US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the war.

Activity at two of the sites suggests Iran may be trying to obscure the view of satellites as it tries to salvage what remains there.

The post Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns US attack would start ‘regional war’ appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

Kompas – The wave of demonstrations in Iran has become the latest source of debate among international relations scholars. There are two questions that are often raised: first, how to interpret the situation, and whether the United States will intervene as it did in Venezuela.

Political and social instability is not a new phenomenon in Iran. Ameneh Mehvar (2023) from the independent conflict monitoring organization ACLED has well-documented data on anti-government demonstrations in Iran from 2016 to 2022. In various analyses, this wave of demonstrations is often interpreted as a purely domestic issue, whether it be governance failures, political repression, or elite conflicts.

The analysis is not entirely incorrect; however, it should be noted that Iran has been under strong external pressure, particularly from U.S. economic sanctions, which have exacerbated Iran’s economic crisis, narrowed the country’s fiscal space, and ultimately triggered social-political instability.

In addition, Iran’s budget profile also shows a trend of increase in the defense and security sector. Clément Therme (2024) writes that this drastic increase is driven by the need to ensure Iran’s security amid a turbulent regional situation, particularly due to military and intelligence activities by Israel. This increase has subsequently contributed to cuts in government subsidies for several sectors, including energy. Meanwhile, Iran’s domestic energy needs have not shown any decline.

The post Iran’s Instability and the Shadow of US Intervention appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

The Red & Black – Demonstrators gathered on Friday evening at the Arch to speak out against the Iranian government and call attention to its ongoing crackdown on protestors amid widespread unrest in Iran.

The demonstration aimed to raise awareness about the situation in Iran and amplify Iranian voices at UGA. Attendees carried Iranian flags and signs reading “Free Iran” and “Regime change for Iran,” handed out pamphlets and chanted slogans like “Save Iran, save the world.”

Estimates of the number of people killed in Iran have fluctuated. The U.S. based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), whose figures have been accurate in previous rounds of unrest, has estimated that over 6,000 people have been killed. The Iranian government has put the death toll far lower, at a little over 3,000. Iran’s government in the past has undercounted or not reported deaths from unrest.

A Norway-based Iran Human Rights group has warned that death tolls in Iran could exceed 25,000, according to the BBC.

These rising death tolls, arrests and widespread internet outage, which some claim is meant to stem the flow of information about the government crackdown, in Iran has led to unease within the Iranian community at UGA.

“I have family in Iran, and I’ve heard first-hand accounts of the brutal crackdown, and it’s been going on for almost 50 years,” Eva Safaie, a Persian-American graduate student at UGA, said, “A lot of my family fled when the revolution first happened, and it’s absolutely disgusting, and something needs to be done, and so many people are unaware of it.”

“The brutal crackdown by the Islamic regime in Iran was missed mostly in, I would say, leftist media,” Amin, a Ph.D. student at UGA said. “Many are just neglecting the fact that 40,000 people were killed during this protest … I can call it a revolution, not a protest now.”

Information on the number of people killed is still limited. But based on data from human rights organizations, over 6,000 people are said to have been killed in the protests and more than 17,000 recorded deaths under investigation, according to HRANA

Solmaz Es’haghloo, a Ph.D. candidate studying textile sciences, believes that the university could be doing more to support Iranian students during this time.

“Everyone is just under pressure,” Es’haghloo said. “They don’t feel fine right now, the graduate students or Iranian community here, and … we want [UGA] to be more empathetic or just understand the situation.”

The post Demonstrators at UGA call for a regime change in Iran appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

BBC – Donald Trump has said Iran wants to make a deal rather than face US military action, despite Tehran’s insistence that its missile and defence systems will “never” be up for negotiation.

The post Iran wants to make deal rather than face military action, Trump says appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

CNN‘s Isa Soares speaks with Skylar Thompson, the deputy director of Human Rights Activists in Iran, a U.S.-based organization tracking the number of protesters killed, injured and arrested during Iran’s crackdown and internet blackout.

The post Isa Soares Tonight: Iran internet blackout protesters crackdown Skylar Thompson live guest appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.

Polskie Radio – The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 6,126 people have been killed, including protesters, children and civilians, based on reports from its network inside Iran.

Iranian state television has reported 3,117 deaths. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged in late December that “several thousand people” had been killed, blaming what he described as “domestic and international criminals.”

Independent estimates are significantly higher. Time magazine and Britain’s Guardian have cited sources placing the death toll at around 30,000. Dr. Hashim Moazenzadeh, a surgeon in France who says he remains in contact with medical staff in Iran, told Euronews Farsi that forensic data indicate at least 22,000 deaths.

“Evidence showed security forces shot people who were fleeing,” Moazenzadeh said, citing gunshot wounds to the backs of victims’ heads.

The U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, said reports she has received suggest casualties “may reach tens of thousands,” noting that internet outages and lack of independent access prevent accurate counts.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said security forces used live ammunition, metal pellets, tear gas and beatings against largely peaceful protesters. Amnesty said it verified video showing at least 205 body bags at a makeshift morgue near Tehran.

Human rights groups have also reported that families were asked to pay thousands of dollars to retrieve the bodies of relatives and that some victims may have been killed after receiving hospital treatment.

The Iran International news website reported Tuesday that as many as 36,500 people may have been killed, citing what it said were documents from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard submitted to the country’s Supreme National Security Council. The outlet said the deaths allegedly occurred over just two days, Jan. 8 and 9, calling the scale of violence unprecedented even by regional standards.

The protests began in late December over economic grievances, including soaring food prices, and later spread nationwide. Authorities imposed a sweeping information blackout as demonstrations grew, sharply restricting information from inside the country.

The post Reports put Iran protest death toll at thousands, possibly over 30,000 appeared first on Human Right Activists In Iran.