Iranian authorities, for the first time, commented on the number of deaths which have taken place during the ongoing agitation which was sparked by Mahsa Amini's death in September.
An Iranian military general on 28 November 2022 reportedly said that more than 300 people have been killed in the protests. These include security personnel.
However, the number is well short of the death toll claimed by US-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran. The activist group said that more than 500 people have died so far, including over 450 protestors, and around 60 security personnel. The NGO also says that more than 18,000 people have been detained by Iranian authorities.
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the aerospace division of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said that more than 300 have died, and many of them were not involved in protests. He reportedly did not provide an exact figure.
The protestors are opposing a strict dress code for women in public, and other theocratic diktats by Iran's authoritarian regime.
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