At least 5,000 dead in Iran unrest, official says, as judiciary hints at executions

At least 5,000 people have been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, an Iranian official in the region said on Sunday, citing verified figures and accusing “terrorists and armed rioters” of killing “innocent Iranians”.

Nationwide protests erupted on December 28 over economic hardship and swelled over two weeks into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule – resulting in the deadliest unrest since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

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