Iran confirms some 2,000 people killed in protests

By Reuters and AFP 13 January 2026, 1:13 pm

Edit

This frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire in the street in Tehran, Iran, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Around 2,000 people have been killed in Iranian protests against the regime, an Iranian official tells Reuters, blaming “terrorists” for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.

It is the highest official death toll confirmed so far in the unrest that has rocked the Islamic Republic and threatened the country’s stability, and comes as an Iranian opposition outlet alleges that the death toll actually stands at some 12,000, citing numerous sources inside the country — though that report cannot be verified.

The United Nations rights chief voices horror today at the mounting violence directed at protesters across Iran.

“The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable,” Volker Turk says in a statement, decrying the authorities’ decision “to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change.”