SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Iran’s death toll increased to approximately 470 after three months of anti-government protests, and 39 protesters are under threat of execution, reports the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez (Iranian Kurdistan). Amini was arrested by Iran’s ‘Morality Police’ in Tehran for wearing ‘inappropriate’ clothing. On September 16, she died while under police custody.
Iran’s police announced that she had died of her disease, but most Iranians remain suspicious.
As Amini was laid to rest the following day, thousands of people attending her burial ceremony began staging anti-government protests chanting “Women, Life Freedom.”
Women, Life, Freedom
Iranian protesters’ popular chanting “Women, Life, Freedom”
As soon as the protests started, they spread like wildfire on social media, both locally and internationally. Since then, over the past three months, demonstrations have taken place in cities and towns across Iran every day and night.
In the early days of the demonstrations, there were demonstrations in 170 cities, towns, and villages; now they continue in dozens, according to human rights organizations.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network released the latest death toll on Saturday. As of Saturday, a total of 469 protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces, the equivalent of five a day.
The majority of the protesters were women from Iran and Kurdish provinces, 32 of whom died along with 63 children.
The number of deaths in the Kurdish cities (Rojhelat) in Iran is the highest
The number of deaths in the Kurdish cities (Rojhelat) in Iran is the highest, according to NGOs’ figures.
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, 137 people were killed in Rojhelat, followed by Sistan and Beluchestan with 130 and Tehran with 50.
According to HRANA, a US-based human rights organization, more than 18,000 protesters have been arrested so far.
Human rights group Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reports that two protesters have been executed and 39 others are facing execution.
Since three months of demonstrations and protests, Iranians have seen no progress in implementing their demands, with the exception of the suspension of the “Morality Police.” Recent developments on the death penalty for protesters seem to have disappointed the Iranian people.
Amid losing hope, Hengaw reported that a number of Iranian Kurdish protesters were arrested in Turkey during their attempt to migrate to the West.
According to Hengaw, Turkey is preparing to repatriate the detained migrants to Iran, raising new concerns for Iranians.
Turkey is preparing to repatriate the detained migrants to Iran, raising new concerns for Iranians.
