In Iran, at least 326 people were killed when security forces cracked down on protests across the country over the death of a young woman named Masa Ammini when she was arrested, according to a death toll released by Iran’s human rights group on November 12.
Ammini died on September 16, three days after she was arrested for violating the country’s strict dress code for women. His death sparked nationwide protests.
Protests have intensified with public dissatisfaction with the enforcement of dress codes for women.
“The security forces broke up the protests going on all over the country, and 43 children, At least 326 people were killed, including 25 women,” the Oslo-based international human rights group IHR reported on its website.
The current death toll has increased from the 22 death toll published on November 5.
The death toll in Sistan-Baluchistan alone, in Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan, was at least 123, up from 118 in the IHR’s latest death toll.
Most of the victims were killed in a crackdown by security forces on September 30 in the city of Zahidan in Sistan-Baluchestan province, in what activists described as “Bloody Friday”.
The protests were sparked by allegations that a 15-year-old girl had been raped by a police chief in the port city of Chabada in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
Similar to the protests over Ammini’s death, protests in Sistan-Baluchistan have also been taking place, experts say, adding to the momentum of protests against women’s rights.
Mahmoud Emiri Moghadam, head of the international human rights group, urged the international community to act urgently to stop the conditions that are suppressing the protests in Iran.
In addition, the IHR said it is investigating the exact number of deaths related to the deaths of protesters in Iran.
