Iranian government and NGOs disagree on death toll in wave of protests

More than 300 people have died in protests recorded in the country since mid-September, following the arrest and murder of young Mahsa Amini, accused of violating the country’s strict women’s dress code, Iranian authorities said.

The death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, during his arrest on September 16 sparked a wave of demonstrations in Tehran and various provinces of the country. The protests were violently suppressed by the security forces.

“I don’t have the latest data, but I believe we have perhaps more than 300 martyrs and one of the best youth in this country was killed as a result of this incident,” General Admirali Hajizadeh said, referring to the security forces. The commander of Iran’s elite army Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Forces and demonstrators in a video released by the Mehr agency.

That number includes dozens of police, soldiers and militiamen killed or killed in clashes with protesters, according to Iranian officials.

At the same time, the Oslo-based Iranian Human Rights NGO claims that the “suppression of protests in Iran” has left at least 416 dead.

This number includes those killed in the violence recorded following the protests over Amini’s death, and those killed in the unrest in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.

In this Sunni-majority province – the rest of the country has a Shia majority – the demonstrations took place in late September after news broke of an alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a police officer. The protests were also violently suppressed, according to Iranian Human Rights.

According to judicial authorities, thousands of Iranians and about 40 foreigners were detained during demonstrations over Mahsa Amini’s death, and more than 2,000 people were prosecuted.

Six of the defendants were sentenced to death in the first-instance court, and their fate now rests with the Supreme Court, which must decide on appeals.

World Cup protests

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, all women are required by law to cover their hair in public with a veil and to wear clothing considered discreet. The moral police patrol the streets to verify compliance with this rule.

But in the last two decades, many women in Tehran and other major cities of Iran have not covered their hair.

The death of Mahsa Amini caused great indignation among the people. The effects of this were felt even at the World Cup in Qatar. Iran national team players did not sing the national anthem as a protest during the match against England last week.

This Tuesday, Iran faces the US pick in Doha in their quest for the World Cup Round of 16 classification, in the third-round match of Group B with a huge political weight.