Iranian journalist and human rights advocate Masih Alinejad, who spoke at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, said in an interview with Novaya Gazeta Europe that Iran’s authorities are concealing the true scale of repression against protesters. In her words, this is not crowd control but the mass killing of civilians, including women, young people, and families demanding respect for their dignity.
Alinejad said the differing death toll estimates stem from actions by the Islamic Republic: internet shutdowns, pressure on relatives, control over hospitals, and the concealment of bodies. She cited CBS reporting that as many as 20,000 people may have been killed, and a Sunday Times report based on information from doctors in Iran that put the number of dead at 16,500 to 18,000, with about 330,000 injured. According to her, the real figures may be even higher.
She also described the situation surrounding death sentences. Alinejad said capital punishment is being used as a tool of intimidation, while the trials themselves last only minutes, take place without lawyers, and rely on confessions extracted under torture. Speaking about Erfan Soltani, she stressed that a postponed execution does not mean safety: according to some of her sources, he may have died in prison, although there is no confirmed proof.
The exact number of detainees, she said, cannot be verified. She claims those arrested face torture, solitary confinement, long prison terms, and charges that carry the death penalty. She also said that at least 8,000 protesters were deliberately blinded by shots fired directly into their eyes at close range.
Alinejad also called for the international isolation of Iran’s leadership, the expulsion of its diplomats, support for Iranians’ access to communications, and action against those who, she says, order mass killings. She again urged governments to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, saying that delay is costing Iranian lives.