The serious unrest in Iran in November apparently killed far more people than previously thought by foreign observers. According to the latest information from the human rights organization Amnesty International, 304 people were killed. Amnesty had previously estimated at least 208 deaths.
Several thousand people were also injured when security forces "smashed the protests to death", said a report by the human rights organization. Following the riots, eyewitnesses said there was a widespread "malice" by the authorities to prevent people from talking about the events. Amnesty claims to have checked the numbers using various sources. They cannot be verified independently.
In mid-November, nationwide protests against an increase in gasoline prices and rationing of fuel broke out, and the security forces reacted with violence. According to unconfirmed information, more than a thousand people were arrested - including 180 "ringleaders" who are apparently facing the death penalty. With a temporary internet blockade, the government in Tehran ensured that hardly any information, images and videos of the protests could be disseminated.
Eyewitness accounts from Iran
Iran had already categorically denied the number of victims published outside the country in early December and described it as "absolutely wrong". However, Tehran has not yet released its own figures. In early December, the US feared that the regime "may have murdered more than a thousand Iranian citizens since the protests began."
