ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Iran Says More Than 300 Killed in Nationwide Anti-Government Protests

Iranian Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh’s claim was markedly lower than that of the Human Rights Watch, which estimates that more than 500 people have died and 18,000 have been detained.

A top Iranian military official said that more than 300 people had been killed since nationwide protests erupted in the wake of the Sept. 16 death of a young woman in police custody, according to the Associated Press. The estimate, which marks the first acknowledgment of civil fatalities by the government, came from Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was quoted by “a website close to the [Revolutionary] Guard,” the AP reported. Hajizadeh said that several of those killed had been “martyrs,” apparently referring to deceased security forces, and insinuated that many of the dead had been Iranian citizens uninvolved in the demonstrations. He did not elaborate or share the source of his data. Human Rights Watch, which has been following the unrest since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s arrest for allegedly wearing her hijab too loose in public, has reported a much higher death toll, claiming that 451 protestors and 60 security officers have been killed so far. More than 18,000 people have been detained, the organization said.