Death Toll in Clampdown on Iranian Protests Reaches Hundreds, Rights Groups Say

More than 500 people have been killed since the mass demonstrations started, one group has said.

Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad Highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on Jan. 10, 2026. Social Media/via Reuters

Human rights groups have said that hundreds of people have been killed during mass demonstrations that have roiled Iran in recent weeks, and thousands more people have been detained.

At least 192 protesters have been killed since the mass demonstrations started, said the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights on Jan. 11. It said “unverified reports” have shown that several hundred people, or even more than 2,000, might have been killed so far.