Activists say more than 7,000 killed in Iran protest crackdown as death toll disputed

Human rights activists say the number of people killed during last month’s nationwide protests in Iran has climbed to at least 7,002, sharply higher than figures released by the Iranian government.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Thursday that it has verified thousands of deaths through a network of contacts inside the country. The organization, which has tracked previous waves of unrest in Iran, said the count continues to rise gradually as it crosschecks information amid restricted communications and internet disruptions.

Iran’s government has provided only one official update on the toll. On Jan. 21, authorities said 3,117 people had been killed during the crackdown. Officials have not publicly revised that figure, and independent verification inside the country remains limited.

International rights groups have previously accused Iran’s leadership of underreporting casualties during periods of political unrest. The latest dispute over the death toll highlights ongoing concerns about transparency and access to reliable information within the Islamic Republic.

The protests, which spread across multiple cities, have drawn global attention and prompted renewed scrutiny of Iran’s handling of dissent. Governments in North America and Europe have called for independent investigations into reported human rights violations.