[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Iranian authorities’ violent crackdown on protests over economic hardship may have resulted in at least 12,000 deaths, according to estimates cited by an opposition media outlet.

On the 13th (local time), London-based dissident outlet Iran International reported that “the largest massacre in Iran’s modern history has taken place, leaving at least 12,000 people dead.” The outlet said most of the deaths occurred on February 8 and 9, and were largely caused by gunfire from members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated paramilitary force, the Basij militia.

Citing information obtained from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the presidential office, the report claimed that the order to open fire was issued with the approval of senior authorities, following direct instructions from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

While the claims have not been independently verified, they have intensified concerns that the protests resulted in mass casualties.

By comparison, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that approximately 2,000 people had been killed during 17 days of protests as of the same date. According to HRANA, 1,847 of the dead were protesters, while 135 were members of security forces, including military and police personnel.

HRANA also reported the deaths of nine children and nine civilians not involved in the demonstrations, and said the total number of arrests exceeded 16,700.

Separately, Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it had documented 734 protester deaths and thousands of injuries. Based on unverified information obtained by the group, the actual death toll could be as high as 6,000.

IHR added that forensic facilities in Iran’s central Isfahan province alone had registered around 1,600 protest-related deaths, noting that “a significant proportion of those killed were under the age of 30.”

 

 

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