More than 5000 people died during protests in Iran (Photo- Reuters)
AFP, Washington. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRAANA), a leading US-based human rights organization, released a shocking update on Friday, saying that more than 5,000 people have been confirmed dead during the recent nationwide protests in Iran. The group claims that most of those killed were protesters directly targeted by security forces.
NGOs tracking the death toll from Iran's crackdown on the biggest protests in years have said their work has been hampered by a two-week internet shutdown, and warned that confirmed figures are likely to be far lower than the real number.
The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) has confirmed that 5,002 people have been killed, including 4,714 protesters, 42 minors, 207 members of security forces and 39 bystanders. But the group said it was still investigating another 9,787 possible deaths. It said at least 26,852 people have been arrested.
Iranian officials gave the first official death toll in the protests on Wednesday, saying 3,117 people were killed. The statement from the Organization for Martyrs and Veterans of Iran sought to distinguish between "martyrs" (who included members of the security forces or innocent bystanders) and "rioters" supported by the United States (whom the organization described as "martyrs"). Of the total death toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 people were martyred.
HRANA said authorities "attempted to corroborate the government's official statement regarding the killings" by releasing their own death toll.
Iran Human Rights (IHR), another Norway-based NGO, says it has documented at least 3,428 killings of protesters by security forces and warns that the final figure risks reaching 25,000.
The problem of internet shutdown continued on Friday also. Monitor NetBlocks said however that messaging apps are becoming more readily available and more people are connecting through VPNs.
Iran denies US claim of moratorium on executions US President Donald Trump has threatened new military action against Tehran over its crackdown, specifically warning officials of dire consequences if Iran hangs protesters.
The White House said on January 15 that "800 executions scheduled and scheduled to take place" the previous day were halted following pressure from Washington. However, in Iran's first reaction, its Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad described the claim as "completely false".
According to a report published on the judiciary's Mizan website, he said, "The irrational and arrogant US President has claimed to have stopped the execution of 800 people in Iran. This claim is completely false, there is no such number nor has the judiciary taken any such decision."
There have been no reports of protesters being executed, but human rights groups have warned protesters that they could be charged with serious crimes, which could lead to the death penalty.
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