The highest number of deaths was in the two provinces of Khuzestan and Kermanshah, with a total of 70 people; Amnesty International report
According to statistics published by Amnesty International, Khuzestan and Kermanshah provinces have had the highest number of deaths in the provincial distribution, and among the cities, Kermanshah with 16 deaths, Bandar Mahshahr and Javanrud with 14 deaths each have had the highest number of deaths in public protests.
This international organization says that the information it has collected shows that at least 106 people have been killed by agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the recent protests in Iran.
Raha Bahreini, a researcher for the Iran department at Amnesty International, confirmed to Voice of America that the organization's initial report confirms the deaths of at least 106 people.
Amnesty International obtained this statistic based on eyewitness reports, published videos, and human rights activists outside Iran.
Ms. Bahreini said in an interview with Voice of America: "Amnesty International calls on the United Nations, the European Union, and their member states to respond immediately and seriously to these deeply disturbing developments, and to call on the authorities to end this bloody repression and respect the right of Iranians to express their opinions and freedom of peaceful assembly."
As the fifth day of widespread protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic enters its third day, concerns have increased over the killing of dozens of protesters by the Iranian regime, and senior officials in the United States and other countries, as well as human rights organizations, have expressed concern.
“We have seen reports that dozens of innocent Iranians have been killed by the regime… The leader [Khamenei] is using the Revolutionary Guard to kill innocent Iranians,” US Special Representative Brian Hook told VOA.
Meanwhile, footage sent to Voice of America shows agents in Iran directly shooting people.
In this video sent to Voice of America, officers shoot live ammunition at people from the top of a Basij building in Karaj:
♦️ Short video | Officers fired live ammunition at protesters from the top of the Basij building in Karaj pic.twitter.com/bstLMoKBO0
— VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) November 18, 2019
In this video from Shiraz on Saturday, officers shoot at protesters as they flee.
♦️Short video | People line up and rush towards the police; officers flee and shoot at #protesters in #Shiraz pic.twitter.com/Jqis16mHdZ
— VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) November 16, 2019
♦️Short video | #Shooting from the top of the Javanrud courthouse towards people pic.twitter.com/Qb0G2vKBE4
— VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) November 18, 2019
Mike Pompeo's reaction:
Also on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a press conference in response to the crackdown on protesters in Iran, said that the United States was deeply concerned by reports of several deaths and that "the world is watching the Iranian regime's behavior."
He added that the United States is closely monitoring the ongoing protests in Iran; the United States strongly condemns any violent actions by the Iranian regime against the people of this country and is deeply concerned about reports received that several people have been killed.
♦️Short video | Mike #Pompeo's warning: #Iranian_regime must stop #violence against the people; the world is watching pic.twitter.com/Q2A8D4GkFa
— VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) November 18, 2019
The US Secretary of State added that the Islamic Republic must stop using violence against its people and immediately provide the right of all Iranians to free access to the internet.
The UN Human Rights Office has expressed deep concern over the use of live ammunition by security forces against protesters in Iran. On Tuesday, November 19, Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office, expressed deep concern over the use of live ammunition by security forces in Iran against demonstrators, saying that according to reports, the number of deaths in these protests was in the dozens, and this level of casualties is “very serious.”
Despite the silence of the Islamic Republic authorities about the number of deaths in the protests of the past few days, human rights activists have announced the death toll at more than a hundred. According to reports published by the Hengaw Human Rights Network, at least 34 people have been killed and 167 injured in the protests of the past few days in various cities of Kurdistan.
The fifth day of public protests in Iran continues, with the internet still down and reports indicating widespread arrests in various cities.
According to reports, these protests continued on Tuesday, November 19; however, due to the internet outage in Iran, videos and images from these protests are difficult to publish.
Netblocks, an organization that monitors the Internet, once again wrote on its Twitter page on Monday evening, November 17, that only five percent of Iran's Internet is connected to the outside world.
Source: Voice of America
