Iranian government confirms over 200 deaths since protests breakout

REGION  04 December 2022 - 14:02

Iran's national security council has confirmed that more than 200 people have been killed in riots in Iran that began in mid-September, according to the state news agency IRNA as referenced by PBS. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air force commander Sardar Hajizadeh earlier spoke of 300 dead, while the Iranian human rights organization HRANA already recorded 448 deaths, including 60 children and 29 women.

In September, mass protests erupted in the western Iranian city of Sekkez after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old student of Kurdish origin who was born there. She was detained by the vice police because of her improperly worn hijab.

Amini was taken to the police station for "re-education" and, according to the authorities, she had suffered a stroke. When the girl was brought to the hospital, she was already in a coma and later succumbed to her injuries. The relatives of the deceased assured the public that she had no health problems and demanded an investigation into the girl's death.

The unrest subsequently spread to other parts of the country. The Iranian army saw them as an attempt to "weaken the Islamic regime". Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the US and Israel the masterminds of the protests, while IRGC Commander-in-Chief General Hossein Salami blamed Saudi Arabia over the developments.

Daily Statistics on Iran Protests#MahsaAmini #Iran #IranProtests2022 pic.twitter.com/NPrEjJwJKc

— HRANA English (@HRANA_English) December 4, 2022

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