Protests in Iran/ Reported increase in number of protesters killed

2026-01-11 20:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) said that the harsh suppression of protests in Iran has intensified significantly and that reports "indicate widespread killings of protesters in various parts of the country, especially in Tehran."

According to this organization, based in Norway, at least 192 protesters have been confirmed dead since the protests began in Iran on December 28, nine of whom were under the age of 18.

The organization warned that there are unconfirmed reports suggesting that the number of victims could be in the hundreds. According to estimates from some sources, the death toll is over 2,000, IHRNGO added.

Due to the complete internet shutdown in Iran and restrictions on access to information, IHRNGO stressed that independently verifying these reports "remains a serious challenge."

This organization also expressed great concern about threats by officials of the Islamic Republic's judicial system to issue death sentences to protesters on charges of "moharebeh" (war against God), and called for an immediate response from the international community to prevent the continuation of the killings and the risk of mass executions of those arrested.

"Threats by Iranian authorities to sentence protesters to death on charges such as moharebeh should be taken very seriously," said IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.

"Those in power today are the same individuals who in the 1980s committed crimes against humanity by executing thousands of political prisoners without trial. The risk of a repetition of those crimes is entirely real."

Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed on January 11 that a significant number of security personnel and law enforcement forces have been killed during clashes with protesters in recent nights.

Citing an "informed source", Tasnim said that actions against security forces had resulted in the "martyrdom" of many employees, while a significant number of police officers were also injured.

In its latest assessment of the situation in Iran, HRANA, an Iranian news agency that focuses on human rights, reported that 37 of those killed in the clashes were members of the military or security forces, and that a prosecutor had also been killed.

Currently, only a few state-affiliated news agencies have access to the internet, and they are exclusively publishing narratives from security forces and law enforcement. The Islamic Republic has cut off internet access across Iran for more than 60 hours as anti-government protests continue for the 15th day in a row.

Protests have not stopped in Iran. Discontent began due to the economic crisis, the devaluation of the national currency and the energy crisis, and the protests have spread to many Iranian cities.

US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Iranian protesters and increased pressure on the authoritarian regime in Tehran, which has ruled the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A day earlier, the American leader reiterated that the US "is ready to help," as Trump has repeatedly issued warnings about the regime in the Islamic Republic.

Trump has repeatedly stated that if Iran kills protesters, the US will get involved and "hit Iran hard." /REL