Protesters killed in Iran higher than official figures: Amnesty

 In Iran, the government is distorting statistics on the deaths of protesters to cover up the excessive use of force by security forces.

According to the British newspaper The Independent, after the death of 22-year-old Mehsa Amini in police custody in Iran, protests have been going on throughout the country for almost two weeks.

The most violent clashes have occurred in the western Kurdish regions of Iran.

Amnesty International researcher Mansoora Mills told The Independent that given the appalling rate of violence by security forces, the actual number of protesters killed was higher than reported by state TV.

Mills said Iranian authorities employ a systematic method of distorting the truth to cover up human rights abuses.

Even after the November 2019 protests, Iranian authorities have consistently refused to accept responsibility for the deaths. Even then, the security forces killed hundreds of men, women and children.

"Iranian authorities hid the number of people killed during protests in 2019 as well and praised the actions of security forces and intelligence officials."

Ruthana Begum, a senior researcher in the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, told The Independent that the actual death toll could be much higher than what state media is reporting.

"The number of people involved in the protests is also much higher than the official figures, which are mostly peaceful."

He said authorities should refrain from excessive use of force and investigate all deaths during protests.

"We have also received reports of women's rights activists being arrested last week while protesting for women's rights. This is something we are investigating.

"The Iranian government arbitrarily arrests journalists, political activists and human rights defenders to silence public dissent or any form of reporting and criticism," Mills added.

They demanded that the government immediately repeal laws and regulations that conceal violence against women and girls, perpetuate violence against them and deprive them of their right to dignity and bodily autonomy.

More than 1,200 protesters have been arrested since Mehsa Amini's death. The nationwide protests are Iran's largest in nearly three years.