Crackdowns and communications blackout largely subdue protests in Iran

A heavy police presence and deadly crackdowns appeared to have largely suppressed demonstrations in many cities and towns across Iran, several witnesses and a human rights group told The New York Times. For weeks Iran has been convulsed by protests sparked by a collapsing economy and a currency in free fall, and authorities have sought to quell them with brutal force and a communications blackout.

Four Tehran residents reached by The Times said the streets were mostly quiet this week as the severity of the crackdown and the number of casualties became clear; they spoke on the condition of anonymity and described large security deployments, an atmosphere like martial law and shops closing after 6 p.m.

The Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said there have been no large-scale protests since Sunday, that thousands have been detained and that numerous universities had closed. Rights groups reported heavy death tolls: the Washington-based Human Rights Activists News Agency cited more than 2,600 killed, and the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said more than 3,400 had been killed and thousands injured.

Israeli officials monitoring the unrest said the scale of protests had noticeably declined since Sunday after Iranian forces escalated the use of live ammunition and the internet blackout, though they added that assessments were complicated by disrupted communications.

Key Topics

World, Iran, Tehran, Hengaw Organization, Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Internet Blackout