Up to 30,000 dead in two days? Regime under pressure

Truck for transporting corpses

Protests in Iran: Up to 30,000 dead in two days?

Recently, information from human rights activists revealed a dramatic level of violence in Iran. Health officials, however, expect far more deaths.

According to information from “Time” magazine, up to 30,000 people may have been killed in two days alone during the mass protests in Iran. The magazine cites two senior officials in the Iranian Ministry of Health.

According to this, so many people were killed by Iranian security forces on January 8th and 9th that the state authorities were unable to recover and dispose of the bodies. Officials said body bags had run out and trucks were being used instead of ambulances.

State broadcaster Iribnews denied the report: “Neither a Health Ministry official nor any official in Iran has reported or confirmed such false statistics.”

The human rights network HRANA, based in the USA, reported 5,495 confirmed deaths, including 5,149 protesters. In addition, HRANA is currently investigating 17,031 additional suspected cases. 7,403 other people are also said to have been seriously injured. According to activists, security forces have arrested 40,887 people.

The activists point out that verifying death figures takes time. There have been internet shutdowns and disruptions for three weeks. The exact extent of the violence is therefore still unclear.

According to official figures, there were 3,117 deaths in the riots. Iran’s ambassador to Geneva claimed that more than 2,400 people had died in “terrorist activities.” The Iranian regime blames its arch-enemies Israel and the USA for the many deaths. The Iranian authorities did not provide any independent evidence.

Numerous eyewitness reports indicate that the Iranian regime is trying to use this representation to cover up the brutal actions of the security forces loyal to the regime. For example, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch reviewed evidence that many protesters were killed or injured by gunshot wounds to the head and torso. The regime’s security forces are blamed for the deadly violence, using firearms against protesters and innocent passers-by.

According to a media report, Israel also provided the USA with intelligence information about executions of demonstrators in Iran. As a result, the US leadership obtained incriminating evidence against the leadership in Tehran, reported the newspaper “Israel Hajom”. Concerns about a new war have recently increased, also because the USA is massing strong military forces in the region.