January 25, 2026, 12:45 p.mJanuary 25, 2026, 12:45 p.m
According to information from Time magazine, up to 30,000 people could have been killed in the mass protests in Iran over two days alone. The magazine cites two senior officials in the Iranian Ministry of Health.
According to this, so many people were killed by Iranian security forces on January 8th and 9th that the state authorities were unable to recover and dispose of the bodies. Officials said body bags ran out and truck semi-trailers were used instead of ambulances.
State broadcasting agency Iribnews denied the report: “Neither a Health Ministry official nor any official in Iran has reported or confirmed such false statistics.”
Over 5,000 confirmed dead
The human rights network HRANA, based in the USA, reported 5,495 confirmed deaths, including 5,149 protesters. In addition, HRANA is examining 17,031 additional suspected cases. In addition, 7,403 other people are said to have been seriously injured. According to activists, security forces have arrested 40,887 people.
All information cannot currently be independently verified. The activists point out that evaluating and verifying death numbers takes time. There have been internet shutdowns and disruptions for three weeks. The exact extent of the violence is therefore still unclear.
Iran’s government gives significantly lower figures
According to official figures, there were 3,117 deaths in the riots. More than 2,400 people have died in “terrorist activities,” claimed the Iranian ambassador in Geneva. The Iranian government blames its arch-enemies Israel and the USA for the many deaths. The Iranian authorities did not provide any independent evidence.
The protests broke out at the end of December. Triggered by the severe economic crisis in the country, traders initially took to the streets. A good two weeks ago there were mass protests in the major cities on January 8th and 9th, which were brutally suppressed. (sda/dpa)