Health Ministry Officials Report 30,000 Killed In Iran Crackdown
Two senior Health Ministry officials and hospital tallies told TIME the Jan. 8-9 death toll was about 30,000, but TIME said it could not independently verify the figures.
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Overview
Two senior Iranian Ministry of Health officials told TIME that an internal count of deaths on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 reached about 30,000, and a separate hospital compilation prepared by Dr. Amir Parasta listed 30,304 deaths.
The figures follow nationwide protests that began Dec. 28 and a reported security-force crackdown using rooftop snipers and trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, a pattern described by doctors and eyewitnesses to TIME and the Guardian.
Iranian state media reported 3,117 deaths on Jan. 21 and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged "several thousand" deaths in a televised statement, while TIME cautioned it could not independently verify the higher internal figures.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed 5,459 deaths and was investigating 17,031 additional cases, and doctors documented between 330,000 and 360,000 injuries, according to HRANA and Iran International.
The U.N. Human Rights Council extended the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Jan. 22 and requested an urgent investigation, and international legal and sanctions options are under consideration as communications inside Iran remain restricted, officials and activists said.
Analysis
Analysis unavailable for this viewpoint.