The continuing protests in Iran could have claimed significantly more lives than previously known. The United Nations (UN) reports that dozens of people have been killed, said UNC Human Rights Commissioner Rupert Colville Michelle Bachelet. The extent of the violence was "obviously very serious".
So far, the Iranian authorities have confirmed the deaths of two policemen and one demonstrator. However, media have been reporting for days more deaths on both sides and numerous injured. Some of the leaders threatened the Revolutionary Guards, an elite group loyal to the system, along with the death penalty.
The riots started on Friday after President Hassan Rohani's government announced a cut in fuel consumption and gasoline prices by at least 50 percent.
Authorities report more than 1000 arrests
At the weekend, numerous gas stations were lit, banks devastated and shops looted. More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested, according to official figures. Even this number can not be tested independently so far and could be significantly higher.
In addition, the Internet has been largely closed in Iran for four days. This complicates the coordination of the demonstrators and is apparently intended to prevent pictures of the protests from reaching the public.
The United Nations condemned the use of live ammunition by protesters by Iranian security forces and called for moderate restraint by the authorities.
The latest protests are the biggest since the winter of 2017/18, when 25 people were killed. Even then, the protests had ignited the difficult economic situation in Iran. The country has slid into deep recession because of the US economic sanctions imposed in the nuclear dispute.
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