About 2,000 people have been killed during the protests in Iran, which have been going on for more than two weeks. The information comes from the country's authorities, who claim that among the victims are both civilians and members of the security forces, and according to them, those responsible for the violence were "terrorists".
According to calculations by an American non-governmental organization, at least 2,571 people have died so far in the mass protests in Iran. Of the dead, 2,403 were anti-government demonstrators, and 147 were "linked to the leadership in Tehran," the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports. More than 18,100 people have been arrested. The country's ongoing internet blackout makes independent verification of this data extremely difficult.
Charges and first death sentence?
The prosecutor's office in Tehran is already indicting people arrested during the protests. Last week, the judiciary said it would use "maximum force" against demonstrators. Many of the protesters, whom the authorities call "rebels," will be charged with "war against God," which is punishable by death.
Human rights groups say at least one person has already been sentenced to death for participating in the protests. 26-year-old Iranian Erfan Soltani could potentially be executed, activists fear. The Norwegian-based human rights group "Hengav" said a source close to the family said Soltani's sister is a lawyer but has been denied access to her brother's case file. "Since his arrest, Erfan Soltani has been deprived of his basic rights, including access to a lawyer, the right to a defense and other fundamental guarantees of a fair trial. His family has also been deliberately kept in the dark about the trial," the group said. It said the family was only allowed one final visit before the young man's scheduled execution.
US intervention?
US President Donald Trump has warned the regime in Tehran that if executions are carried out, the US will "react very strongly". Trump did not elaborate on what Washington's response would be. Since the protests against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian regime began a little over two weeks ago, Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with US intervention if demonstrators are killed. Yesterday, he again promised support for the protesters, saying that "help is on the way" . What he means by this, however, remains unclear.
According to the American news channel NBC, representatives of Israel and Arab countries are advising the United States to wait with its potential strikes against Iran until the regime is further weakened. Media sources report on conversations in which representatives of Middle Eastern countries have expressed concerns that if Washington strikes Tehran now, it will not be enough to finally overthrow the regime.
One of the representatives of the Arab countries said that currently "neighboring countries are not enthusiastic" regarding American strikes on Iran. Another expressed concern that "any attack or escalation by Israel or the US will unite the Iranians" and noted that after the US and Israeli attacks in June, Iran had seen a consolidation effect around power.
End of satellite TV, attempt to sabotage "Starlink"
Telecommunication services have been restored to some extent. Tehran residents say they have experienced "horrifying days". However, text messages remain blocked, and outgoing calls from Iran to foreign phone numbers are also blocked. Some Iranians continue to keep up with events on satellite TV, watching channels maintained by Iranians in exile. However, security forces have already begun confiscating satellite dishes from rooftops and have officially banned their use.
The internet remains blocked in the country. As a result, people in Iran are relying heavily on Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service to share videos of the protests with the world. According to Bloomberg, Musk's SpaceX company has provided the service to the country for free. However, according to media reports, Iranian authorities have managed to partially cut off the connection.
Author: Mina Kirkova