At least 83 people have been killed in Iran during protests that began two weeks ago following the death of a young woman in police custody, the Oslo-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Iran Human Rights said on Friday.
The previous balance of the NGO, released on Thursday, pointed to 76 dead in the protests in the country.
Mahsa Amini, 22, originally from Kurdistan (northwest), was arrested by the morality police on September 13 in Tehran for “wearing inappropriate clothing” and showing some strands of hair.
That unit is responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code, where women must cover their hair and are not allowed to wear short or tight clothing, among other prohibitions. The young woman died on September 16 in the hospital, the date on which the protests began in the country.
The protest movement spread to several cities in the country, where demonstrators shouted anti-government slogans, according to local media.
According to information obtained by the NGO, there were deaths in 16 provinces, including Mazandaran (26), Gilan (11), West Azerbaijan (11), Kermanshah (6), Kurdistan (6), Alborz (5), and Tehran.(4) .
Iran Human Rights said that “thousands” of protesters and civil activists were detained and denounced that Internet portals linked to the Iranian government shared videos with false confessions obtained under threats and torture.
Internet access has been severely compromised or completely cut off in the last week and several foreign digital platforms, such as Instagram, WhatsApp or Signal, have stopped working, according to the NGO.
“Using live ammunition against protesters is an international crime and the international community has a duty to prevent and deter these crimes,” Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Iran’s human rights director, said in a statement.
Amiry-Moghaddam called for “firm” support for the protesters and the activation of UN mechanisms to hold the Iranian regime accountable.
Founded in 2005 and registered in Norway since 2009, Iran Human Rights claims to be made up of people inside and outside of Iran and has members in the United States, Canada, Japan, and several European countries.
Source: TSF
