Iran Human Rights Organization Confirms 76 Deaths in Protests Following Mahsa Amini’s Death

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that at least 76 people were killed in Iran through the fourth day of Mehr (September 25) during protest gatherings following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.

According to the organization’s report, Mazandaran Province had the highest number of casualties with 25 deaths, followed by Gilan and West Azerbaijan provinces, each with 10 deaths.

The report also stated that among the 76 deceased, at least six were women and four were children.

The Iran Human Rights Organization announced these statistics based on published videos and death certificates it has received, in which the matter of direct shooting with military ammunition has been confirmed.

These figures were announced two days after the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting announced that 41 people had been killed in the recent protests.

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization’s report, most of the deceased are being buried at night under pressure from security institutions, and their families are being pressured not to hold public funeral processions. Meanwhile, many families have been threatened that if they release information, they will face official judicial charges.

On the other hand, official and unofficial reports indicate that hundreds of people have been injured and thousands have been arrested in various Iranian cities, but no precise reports have yet been published in this regard.

The human rights website “Hengaw” announced on Monday that the death toll in Kurdistan Province was 18 people, the number of wounded was nearly 900, and the number of those arrested was more than 1,000.

The Chief Prosecutor of Sari also reported on Sunday the arrest of 450 people in Mazandaran Province.

Meanwhile, the Iran Human Rights Organization has warned about the continuation of killing protesters and the possibility of using torture and abuse against detainees to extract forced and televised confessions, calling for immediate action and a unified response from the international community.

Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, the director of the organization, while issuing serious warnings about the “danger of torture and abuse of detainees,” called the “use of military weapons against protesters” a “crime against humanity.”

He asked the international community to “decisively and unitedly take practical measures to prevent torture and killing of protesters.”

Amiri-Moghaddam added: “All countries in the world must defend the people of Iran’s demand for the realization of their fundamental rights.”

Concurrent with widespread protest gatherings in more than 80 Iranian cities and a significant number of cities worldwide following Mahsa Amini’s death, some governments have begun imposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic while condemning the violent and deadly suppression of protests in Iran. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that his country would impose sanctions against a number of individuals and institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the “Morality Police.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called for sanctions against Islamic Republic officials due to the suppression of protests hours before that, saying that “further consequences” for the Iranian government should be reviewed very quickly in European Union forums.

Earlier, on September 22 (Mehr 31), the U.S. Department of the Treasury had sanctioned Iran’s morality police for allegations of harassment and violence against women and violations of the rights of Iranian protesters.

Many critics do not consider the imposition of such sanctions alone sufficient to pressure the Islamic Republic and have called for the suspension of negotiations by world powers with this government regarding the revival of the JCPOA.

The ongoing protests in Iran began following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa (Zhina) Amini from Saqqez, who was arrested by morality police officers on September 22 (Mehr 13) and died three days later due to brain death.

Eyewitnesses to Mahsa Amini’s beating in the morality police vehicle stated that this was the cause of her coma.

Source: Radio Farda