Iran, NGO: ‘At least 572 dead since protests began, most of them demonstrators’

Milan, 12 January (LaPresse/AP) – The death toll in Iran from the crackdown on anti-government protests that began on 28 December has risen to at least 572. This was reported by activists from the Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), a US-based group, according to which 503 of the victims were protesters and 69 were members of the security forces. Hrana, which relies on activists in Iran to verify information, has provided accurate data on previous protests in the past. The group also reports that more than 10,600 people have been arrested. The Iranian government has not provided overall figures on the number of victims in the demonstrations. The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the death toll, as the Internet and international phone calls are still blocked in Iran.