Iran by Far World’s Deadliest Country for Protesters

More than two-thirds of protesters killed worldwide by governments or their affiliated security forces over the past year have died in Iran, according to the collaborative initiative Iran Open Data.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group says at least 537 people, including 48 women and 68 under 18s, were killed during nationwide protests between September 2022 and March this year. A total of 223 deaths occurred during the first two weeks of the anti-government protest movement sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022. 

Citing data from Global Protest Tracker of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Iran Open Data says that 280 people were also killed during protests in 10 other countries between September 2022 and September this year: India (160), Peru (78), Kenya (9), Senegal (9), Ethiopia (6), Angola (5), Eswatini (5), Bolivia (4), Iraq (2) and Syria (2).

The 537 individuals who died in Iran represent approximately 66 percent of the total of 817 people reported killed in public protests worldwide, Iran Open Data says. 

Significant protests took place in 84 countries over the past year, it points out, adding that many of them occurred in European democracies where no deaths were reported. 

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Iran Open Data's original article in Persian language is available here. 

Founded in 2016, Iran Open Data (IOD) strives to make Iran’s official data accessible, available and re-usable. Not only does IOD collect and process raw datasets for researchers and experts, it also publishes exclusive data-driven articles and digital stories for the general public. Additionally, IOD conducts public data calls and surveys on often neglected or taboo issues that are rarely addressed by the government. Follow IOD for all the data-stories concerning Iran.