Amnesty says at least 208 people killed during protests in Iran

“This alarming death toll is further evidence that Iran’s security forces went on a horrific killing spree that left at least 208 people dead in less than a week.”

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International said the death toll in Iran during nationwide protests had risen to over 200.  

The United Kingdom-based human rights organization said the figures were determined through “credible reports” and interviews with sources inside and outside Iran. It also said the death toll of 208 “is likely to be higher.”

“This alarming death toll is further evidence that Iran’s security forces went on a horrific killing spree that left at least 208 people dead in less than a week,” Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty, stated.

“We are calling on the international community to help ensure accountability,” Luther added.

Protests in Iran started on Nov. 15 after Tehran passed a new law on subsidized gasoline that tripled its price.

Demonstrations began calmly but quickly spread to dozens of other parts of the country, including multiple cities in Kurdish-majority western provinces.

Read More: Iranian police kill 11, wound dozens more in protests erupting across the nation

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has mobilized hundreds of thousands of its Basij paramilitaries and other security forces to crack down on protestors.

On Nov. 23, Iran Human Rights Monitor said Iranian troops killed 251 protesters and injured nearly 3,700. It also said security forces arrested over 7,000 people.

Kurdish rights watchdog Hengaw reported on the same day that there had been at least 48 deaths and 1,000 arrests in the provinces of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam, and West Azerbaijan. The group previously said that some wounded protesters had been avoiding hospitals for fear of capture.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Iraq, over 400 people have been killed in clashes between protestors and security forces as anti-government demonstrations continue for nearly two months now.