Rights group says more than 6,100 killed in Iran protest crackdown

At least 6,126 people have been killed during Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests, according to figures released on Tuesday by a human rights organisation, which said the true toll is likely to be even higher.

The estimate was published by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which has previously provided detailed casualty data during periods of unrest in Iran. The group said it had confirmed each reported death through a network of activists operating inside the country.

Independent verification of the figures remains extremely difficult. International media organisations, including the Associated Press, have been unable to assess the death toll because Iranian authorities have repeatedly shut down internet access and disrupted international communications during the crackdown.

Iran’s government has acknowledged far fewer deaths, placing the toll at 3,117. Officials have said that 2,427 of those killed were civilians and members of the security forces, while the remaining victims were described as “terrorists”.

Human rights groups and observers have long accused Iran’s clerical leadership of downplaying or withholding casualty figures during episodes of mass protest. In previous waves of unrest, the authorities either delayed releasing official numbers or failed to publish them altogether.

The latest claims are expected to intensify international scrutiny of Tehran’s response to the protests, which spread across the country and were met with a heavy security presence, mass arrests and sweeping restrictions on information flows.

With agency inputs