An Iranian general has admitted that over 300 people have been killed in the continuing protests since unrest gripped the country in September.
Iran has been engulfed in protests after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in the custody of Iranian religious morality police for allegedly inappropriately wearing a headdress.
The state’s version of events has Amini having a fatal heart attack, while eyewitnesses say she was abused by many security officers in a police van after she was taken into custody.
According to the Associated Press, the general’s announcement is the first time an official death toll has been made public. The official death toll is being contested by local activist organizations who claim it understates the full amount of state violence in the preceding months.
More than 450 protesters and 60 members of the Iranian security forces have been slain, according to these organizations. It has been reported that over 18,000 demonstrators have been arrested.
Growing anger over economic hardship and political incompetence in Iran has reached a boiling point, and by the beginning of November, over 80 cities had seen some sort of demonstration.
Iran has attempted to redirect attention away from its internal turmoil. As a result of regional saber-rattling at the start of November, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States all increased their military readiness.
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