https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa/iran

For Immediate Release

Iran: Investigate Killings of Protesters
Halt Use of Excessive Force Against Demonstrators

(Beirut, January 2, 2018) – Iranian authorities should refrain from using 
excessive force, investigate the deaths during the current protests across 
the country, and remove arbitrary restrictions on internet access, Human 
Rights Watch said today.

So far, the official news channels of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting 
(IRIB) have confirmed the deaths of at least 21 people including two security 
officers during the protests and clashes with security forces over the past five days. 
The protests began on December 29, 2017, in the city of Mashhad and have spread
 to more than a dozen cities in Iran.

“The rising death toll bodes ill for Iranians who are daring to take their grievances 
to the streets,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights 
Watch. “Rather than issue barely veiled threats against protesters, the authorities 
should investigate these deaths, ensure the rights of all detainees, and guarantee 
that people can protest freely and peacefully.”