A large proportion of the at least 12,000 people reported to have been killed were shot dead, most of them on Thursday and Friday night last week, according to the UK-based Iran International.
“In terms of geographical scope, intensity of violence and number of deaths in a short period of time, this mass killing is unprecedented in Iran's history,” the organization writes.
An Iranian regime official told Reuters that around 2,000 people had been killed, including security forces. He blamed “terrorists” for the deaths. The figures have not been verified.
A woman describes the capital Tehran as a battlefield, reports the BBC.
On Friday, the security forces kept killing. Seeing it with my own eyes made me so sick that I completely lost my courage. Friday was a bloody day, she says.
In war, both sides have weapons. Here, people just chant and get killed. It's a one-sided war.
“Falling where they stood”
Omid has been protesting in a city in southern Iran. He spoke to the BBC but his name has been changed to remain anonymous.
I saw it with my own eyes - they shot straight into rows of protesters, and people fell where they stood.
Most of the 12,000 deaths reported by Iran International were carried out by the Revolutionary Guards and the notorious Basij militia. According to Iran International, the killings were organized on the direct orders of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran International states that it has collated information from several sources, including the country's presidential office, the Supreme National Security Council, sources within the Revolutionary Guard, witnesses and information from medical personnel.
All provinces
Yesterday, protests reportedly took place in at least 186 cities in all 31 provinces of the country, writes The Guardian.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and US-based HRANA have reported in their latest updates that over 600 protesters have been killed.
Iranian state media has reported that over 100 security forces have been killed and that “rioters” have set fire to dozens of mosques and banks in the country.
The protests began on December 28 and are rooted in economic dissatisfaction, but criticism has broadened to target the entire regime in Tehran.
