Name: Iran: Death toll soars in protests after brutal crackdown
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T18:57:54.927Z
Duration: 1 min 44 s
Description: The nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocracy appeared increasingly smothered Thursday, a week on from authorities shutting the country off from the world and escalating a bloody crackdown that activists say killed at least 2,615 people.

The nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocracy appeared increasingly smothered Thursday, a week on from authorities shutting the country off from the world and escalating a bloody crackdown that activists say killed at least 2,615 people.

Tehran

Recent protests in Iran have led to a reported death toll exceeding 2,500, according to a US-based human rights agency, marking the highest number of casualties in Iranian protests since 1979. The demonstrations, which began over economic grievances, have resulted in more than 10,600 arrests, with reports of due process violations and at least one protester sentenced to execution.

Iranian authorities have labeled protest participants as rioters and imposed an internet blackout. State television has shown funerals for security forces, while officials have vowed to expedite trials for those arrested. The US government has warned of strong action should executions proceed.

Iran: Death toll soars in protests after brutal crackdown

Dozens of Iranians cross the border into Turkey, an unusual flow of people, reluctant to speak to journalists for fear of repercussions from the Iranian authorities. They've branded people taking part in the protests that have swept Iran, rioters waging acts of terror. This video emerged over the weekend, despite an internet blackout imposed since January 8th. It shows Iranians searching for their loved ones among dozens of bodies. The US-based human rights activist news agency says it's counted more than 2,500 people killed. A death toll that dwarfs that of any other round of protests in Iran since the Islamic clerics took power in 1979. The movement, initially sparked by economic grievances, has turned into one of the biggest challenges yet to their leadership. The US State Department said more than 10,600 Iranians had been arrested and one protester so far had been sentenced to execution. They're starting in the streets when people don't have the right to assemble freely and then people are arrested without due process, without any sort of legal guarantees. They don't have access to an attorney. They then are tortured to confess to a crime they didn't commit and then that confession is used against them in a trial. Iranian state television broadcast footage of a funeral procession for over 100 members of the security forces as authorities vowed fast-track trials for people arrested. Firstly, if we want to do something, we need to do it quickly. If we did it in two or three months, it wouldn't have the same effect. US President Donald Trump threatened very strong action if they go ahead with executions.

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