DUBAI, 6 Jan (Reuters) – At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that began in Tehran’s bazaar over the drop in the value of the currency and the rise in inflation, according to human rights groups.
The protests have spread to some cities in western and southern Iran, but they are not comparable to the unrest that swept the country in 2022-23 over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
However, although smaller, these protests quickly expanded from an economic focus to broader frustrations, with some demonstrators shouting against the clerical rulers of the country.
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Iran also remains under international pressure, with the United States’ President Donald Trump threatening on Friday to help the protesters if security forces shoot at them. In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged not to ‘bow to the enemy’.
Hengaw, a Kurdish Iranian rights group, counted the death toll at 25, including four people under 18. The organization said more than 1,000 people had been arrested. HRANA, a network of rights activists, said at least 29 people had been killed, including two law enforcement officers, as well as 1,203 arrests, as of January 5.
Reuters could not verify the numbers independently. Iranian authorities did not release the number of deaths among the protesters, but said that at least two members of security forces were killed and more than a dozen were injured during the disturbances.
