Iran protests: Amnesty updates death toll to 115 from 106
Rights group Amnesty International on Saturday updated its estimated death toll in the Iranian unrest to 115 from 106.
“We believe that the real figure may be much higher. We are continuing to investigate,” Katy Pownall, Amnesty’s deputy head of news, told Reuters in an email.
The unrest appears to be the worst violence at least since Iran stamped out a “Green Revolution” in 2009, when dozens of protesters were killed over several months. Protests began in several areas on Nov. 15 after the government announced gasoline price hikes of at least 50 percent and imposed rationing. The unrest spread to at least 100 towns and cities, as demonstrators demanded senior officials step down.
Iran has blamed “thugs” linked to exiles and foreign foes for stirring up unrest.
“Some countries in the region should know that they will not have an easy life in the region if clues are found that show they intervened to create unrest in Iran,” said Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, quoted by Fars.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said calm had returned across Iran on Thursday.
Guards spokesman Brig. Gen. Ramezan Sharif said the protests had been initiated by royalists seeking the return of the Pahlavi dynasty toppled by the 1979 revolution, and the exiled Mujahideen Khalq armed opposition group, Tasnim reported.
He said “secessionist” groups were also involved, apparently referring to ethnic Arab and the Kurdish militants.
Internet access
An advocacy group says internet connectivity is rapidly being restored in Iran after a weeklong government-imposed shutdown in response to widespread protests. The group NetBlocks said on Saturday that connectivity had suddenly reached 60 percent Saturday afternoon.
It said on Twitter: “Internet access is being restored in #Iran after a weeklong internet shutdown amid widespread protests.”
There were reports that internet service remained spotty in the capital, Tehran, though others around the country began reporting they could again access it.