Various human rights organisations claim that over 3,000 people have died so far in the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran. After internet connection was partially restored in the country following eight consecutive days of shutdown, the number of these fatalities has gradually started to emerge.
On Saturday, US-based human rights organisation HRANA stated that it has verified information of 3,090 deaths from various sources. Among the deceased, 2,885 were protesters.
The organisation also reported that, due to the security forces’ severe crackdown, the protests calling for the government’s overthrow have largely been brought under control for now. Iranian state media have also published news of thousands of protesters being arrested.
The Iranian government has not blamed ordinary protesters for the nationwide violence, but instead has placed the blame on “armed rioters disguised as protesters”. The country’s authorities have labeled those creating violence as “anti-national terrorists” and claimed that Israel and the United States were the primary instigators behind this violence.
Meanwhile, after close to 200 hours of internet blackout, locals in some areas regained internet access on Saturday morning. The internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks reported that internet connectivity in Iran is still only at 2% of normal levels.
The country’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that internet service has been restored for some users. SMS services and international telephone connections have also been reactivated on a limited scale.
A resident of Karaj city, one of the most violent epicentres during the protests, said he regained internet around 4am on Saturday. Some Iranians abroad also reported on social media that they were able to contact relatives inside Iran on Saturday.
Additionally, residents of Iran’s major cities, including the capital Tehran, have said that Tehran has been relatively calm for the past four days, according to reporting from Reuters. Although drones were seen flying in the city’s sky, there were no major protests on Thursday and Friday.
The protests began on 28 December against economic crisis, severe inflation, and the unprecedented collapse of the Iranian rial against the dollar gradually transformed into demands for an end to the rule of the Islamic Republic led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
When Iranian authorities used armed force to suppress the protests, they spread across the country. US President Donald Trump posted several messages on his own social media platform, TruthSocial, in support of the protesters and promising action against the Iranian regime should violence against protesters continue.
Trump has claimed that, under US pressure, Iranian leaders have canceled plans for mass executions of at least 800 detained protesters.
However, Iranian authorities have neither announced any such plans for mass execution nor the subsequent cancellation thereof. Government-affiliated Iranian media reported that several “key instigators” of the unrest have been arrested, including a woman named Nazanin Baradaran, had been taken into custody following what they described as “complex intelligence operations”.
They went on to state that she played a role in organising these protests in support of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah.
He is known to have received public support from Israel. In 2023, he visited Israel and met with top officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During the protests, he also announced last Thursday that if he returns to power in Iran, Israel will be officially recogniSed as a state.
