Anti-government protests in Iran have killed thousands of people. The relative calm in the country today was imposed by force. Protests that began over economic collapse quickly evolved into an overt political uprising, as chants moved from demands for survival to outright rejection of the regime.
Since early January, repression has intensified sharply. Human rights organizations report thousands killed and tens of thousands arrested, while warning that the real toll is likely far higher, concealed through enforced disappearances, secret burials and executions carried out without due process.
The absence of reliable figures is one of repression’s central techniques.
