London, Britain – International press reports have revealed that tens of thousands of people have been killed in the crackdown launched by Iranian authorities against protesters at the beginning of January, in one of the most violent waves of violence in years, amid a complete internet blackout and widespread media blackout.
Time magazine statistics: 30,000 killed in two days
Time magazine quoted unnamed senior officials in the Iranian Ministry of Health as saying that January 9 and 10 saw the peak of the violence, with up to 30,000 people killed in various Iranian cities. The sources indicated that the sheer volume of bodies was so overwhelming that body bags ran out, forcing authorities to use large trucks to transport victims after ambulances were unable to cope with the increasing numbers.
United Nations and human rights organizations: alarming figures
While Iranian authorities have announced a death toll of only 3,117, international organizations offer different figures. UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato estimated the number of dead could exceed 20,000. Amnesty International confirmed that the killings were carried out on an “unprecedented” scale, using firearms and metal bullets, with the deliberate denial of medical care to the wounded.
For his part, Dr. Amir Barista, an Iranian-German surgeon, reported that the number of people registered at hospitals and medical centers as victims or injured had reached 30,304 as of last Friday, reflecting the scale of the humanitarian crisis in the country. These figures come amidst ongoing protests demanding reforms and escalating repression, which is exacerbating political and social tensions in Iran and raising increasing international concern.
