Iran Human Rights warns of a ‘mass killing’ with hundreds feared dead as government calls counter-rallies after two weeks of major protests.
PARIS: A rights group has accused Iranian authorities of committing a “mass killing” in their crackdown on the biggest protests against the Islamic republic in years.
The government has ordered nationwide counter-rallies in a bid to regain the initiative after two weeks of demonstrations.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights said it had confirmed at least 192 protester deaths but warned the actual toll could be several hundred or more.
It denounced the crackdown as a “major international crime against the people of Iran”.
Protests initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living have evolved into a broad movement against the theocratic system.
They represent one of the biggest challenges to the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
An internet blackout lasting over 72 hours has limited information flow, with activists warning the real toll could be far higher.
IHR cited unverified reports indicating more than 2,000 people may have been killed.
Authenticated video showed dozens of bodies wrapped in black bags outside a morgue south of Tehran.
President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Iran’s arch-foes of trying to escalate unrest by bringing “terrorists from abroad”.
State TV aired images of burning buildings and funeral processions for security personnel killed in the unrest.
The government declared three days of national mourning for “martyrs” including slain security forces.
It described the fight against what it calls “riots” as a “national resistance battle against America and the Zionist regime”.
Pezeshkian urged people to join “national resistance march” rallies to denounce violence blamed on “urban terrorist criminals”.
IHR estimates more than 2,600 protesters have been arrested since the demonstrations began.
Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah, said he was prepared to return to lead a democratic transition.
An AFP journalist described Tehran as in a state of near paralysis with soaring prices and early shop closures.
US President Donald Trump has voiced support for the protests and threatened military action if authorities “start killing people”.
Iran’s parliament speaker warned the US military and shipping would be “legitimate targets” if Washington launched an attack.
