Anti-government protests in Iran, sparked by economic hardship, have intensified, and as authorities crack down, the death toll appears to be rising sharply.
According to the U.S.-based civil group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on the 12th, protests had broken out across 585 locations in all 31 provinces of Iran as of the day before. It has been about 16 days since the protests began.
It said the number of deaths counted so far, including civilians and security forces, stood at 544, and it is verifying the authenticity of an additional 579 reported deaths. The day before, the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said the death toll could exceed 2,000.
HRANA said videos and information had spread alleging that a large number of bodies were being stored at forensic facilities in Tehran, the Iranian capital, and the nearby Kahrizak area. Based on an analysis of some videos, the number of bodies could be as high as 250.
Iran's state-run IRIB also once aired footage showing a large warehouse stacked with bodies.
HRANA claimed that 10,681 people had been arrested during the protests and that there were 96 cases of forced confessions among those detained.
The day before, the Iranian government declared three days of national mourning and labeled the casualties the work of "urban terrorists."