At Least 3,117 People Killed During Iran Protests, State Media Reports

Iranian state television has released the first official death toll from the recent antigovernment protests that engulfed the country, reporting that 3,117 people were killed during the crackdown. 
  
In a statement carried by Press TV on Wednesday, Iran’s Martyrs Foundation said that 2,427 of those killed in the demonstrations were civilians and security forces. 
 
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has said 4,519 were killed during the wave of demonstrations, including 4,251 protesters, 197 security personnel, 35 people aged under 18 and 38 bystanders who it says were neither protesters nor security personnel. 
  
The demonstrations, which began in late December with shopkeepers protesting against the sliding value of the currency and the cost of living, escalated into a widespread antigovernment movement.    
 
In a report, Amnesty International said it had documented Iranian security forces positioned on streets and rooftops, firing rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets, often aimed at unarmed individuals’ heads and torsos. 
 
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