"The demonstrations, which began in late December with shopkeepers protesting against the sliding value of the currency and the cost of living, escalated into a widespread antigovernment movement. This photograph, taken during a tour for foreign media, shows media representatives visiting the Beheshti Mosque that was damaged during recent public protests, in Tehran [AFP] Iranian authorities condemned the protests as a terrorist incident and claimed that the violent riots were fuelled by the US."
"Some rights groups have said that protesters were killed by direct fire from the security forces. In a report, Amnesty International said it had documented Iranian security forces positioned on streets and rooftops, firing rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets, often aimed at unarmed individuals' heads and torsos. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal that Tehran would not hold back if attacked, but called for respect for Iran."
Iranian state television reported 3,117 people killed during the recent antigovernment protests. The Martyrs Foundation said that 2,427 of those killed were civilians and security forces. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 4,519 deaths, including 4,251 protesters, 197 security personnel, 35 people aged under 18 and 38 bystanders, and said 9,049 additional deaths were under review. The protests began in late December over the sliding value of the currency and the rising cost of living and escalated into a widespread antigovernment movement. Iranian authorities condemned the protests as terrorist incidents and blamed the United States. Amnesty International documented security forces positioned on streets and rooftops firing rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets, often aimed at unarmed individuals' heads and torsos.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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