Death toll from a crackdown on protests in Iran 'at least 5,000': Activists

Data from HRANA relies on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths

Last updated: January 23, 2026 | 06:18

1 MIN READ

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026.

UGC via AP

Activists said Friday the death toll from a crackdown over Iran’s nationwide protests topped 5,000 people killed, with many more still feared dead.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) offered the toll.

The agency has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths.

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Iran’s government offered its first death toll Wednesday, saying 3,117 people were killed.

Iran’s theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to assess the death toll, given authorities have cut internet access in Iran for over two weeks now and continue to disrupt international calls.

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