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Iranian government officials say 30,000 killed in protest crackdown

Death toll in Iranian protest crackdown continues to soar, with human rights groups estimating as many as 43,000 killed.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The death toll resulting from the Iranian government’s violent crackdown on anti-regime protests continues to rise, with reports of as many as 43,000 fatalities since the protests began on December 28.

Two senior officials from the Iranian Ministry of Health who spoke with Time on condition of anonymity in a report published Saturday estimated that around 30,000 people were killed in just two days.

The report did not provide figures regarding the total death toll since the protests began.

On January 8, the Iranian government shut down internet access across the country and severely limited cellphone coverage.

According to witnesses, reports by observer groups, and estimates assembled by healthcare providers in Iran, thousands of people were killed in a massive crackdown from January 8 to 9.

While Iran has officially placed the death toll at 3,117, human rights groups and opposition activists put the number of fatalities in the tens of thousands.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a Washington-based group with ties to activists inside Iran, has received reports of 22,490 deaths during the protests, including 208 pro-regime personnel.

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Of those, the group has managed to confirm 5,459 fatalities.

However, according to data collected by doctors and other healthcare providers in Iran and forwarded to German-Iranian eye surgeon Dr. Amir Parasta, 30,304 fatalities had been documented as of last Friday.

In addition, 97,645 non-fatal casualties have been reported, with 30% of those injured suffering injuries to at least one eye, amid reports that pro-regime forces used shotgun blasts fired indiscriminately into crowds to break up the protests.

The Toronto-based International Centre for Human Rights in Iran claimed last Tuesday that at least 43,000 people were killed during the protests, with 95% of the fatalities occurring on January 8 and 9.

The center also claimed that some 350,000 people have been wounded in the crackdown and more than 20,000 people arrested.