Questions after Iran’s government releases victim list in protest killings 

Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities have launched an online portal for people to report the names of loved ones missing from a government list of thousands killed during recent nationwide protests, as calls for accountability grow.

Authorities say 3,117 people were killed during the anti-establishment protests that began in late December, rejecting statements by the United Nations and international human rights organisations that state forces were behind the killings, which were mostly carried out on January 8 and 9.

The United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has verified 6,872 deaths and is investigating more than 11,000 other cases. A UN special rapporteur has said the death toll may be higher than 20,000 as information trickles out despite heavy internet filtering by the state.

On Sunday, the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian released the names of 2,986 Iranians confirmed to have been killed during the protests. It said the remaining 131 have not been identified, so a complementary list will be forthcoming at an undisclosed time.

The list includes the full names of those killed, the first name of their father, and the last six digits of their 10-digit national identification number. It does not elaborate where, when, how or by whom they were killed, and avoids any further classification, such as distinguishing between protesters and heavily armed state forces.

Since the release of the list, many Iranians have taken to social media to report the omission of names of people confirmed by their families and friends to have been killed during the protests. The register also contained a number of repetitive entries, with matching names and national identification codes.

Late on Tuesday, the government announced a website where people could report the names of loved ones missing from the list. But it was unclear when any potential update would be forthcoming to add names and clarify errors and ambiguities.

People were also urged to report any violations, including being demanded money by authorities to receive the bodies of their loved ones, and any refusal to provide lifesaving medical care to wounded protesters.

The government has consistently rejected all reports of misconduct by state forces, including raids on hospitals and the arrests of medical personnel for assisting protesters.

It has also announced an internal fact-finding mission – as it rejects a UN mandate on the issue – but has provided no details, including who the members are or when findings may be published.

In an apparent attempt to appease families of the victims and the grieving public, a government statement on Sunday said “all of the victims of the recent incidents and unrest were the children of this land and no bereaved person must be abandoned in silence and helplessness”.

However, the messaging was in stark contrast with daily comments from the political, military and judicial authorities, including Pezeshkian, stressing that “terrorists” were behind the “riots”, which they claim were armed and funded by the United States and Israel.

Moreover, in late January, Iran’s Martyrs Foundation said 2,427 of those killed were “innocent”, including civilians and security forces. The figure suggested that the remaining 690 killed may have been classified as the “terrorists” referenced by state officials, but there has been no further clarity on that.

The government’s list of names was also published in full and in small text on the front pages of two newspapers, with the Payam-e Ma morning daily using the headline, “the deceased”, for the victims.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani held a news conference on Tuesday, where she was met with a rebuke from a journalist, clips of which are being widely shared online.

Parisa Hashemi, a journalist with Ham-Mihan newspaper – which is currently under legal prosecution for reporting on the protests – reminded the spokesperson that Iran is suffering from corruption, poverty, energy and water crises, chronic air pollution and much more.

“Now we hear that the ‘enemy’ sabotaged protests in our country, created rivers of blood, and committed a mass killing. There is no doubt that those who fired at our youth, children, women and men are enemies of this land,” she said, pointing out that not a single official has resigned in the aftermath.

“If this had happened in any other country, its officials would either die from the shame or kill themselves out of honour,” Hashemi said.

In response, Mohajerani smiled and said the journalist was posing a statement rather than a question and repeated a line about “hope” being crucial for any society.

The official IRNA news agency did not include the three-minute part of the journalist’s comments when releasing the recorded footage of the news conference on its website.

Meanwhile, renowned actress Elnaz Shakerdoost on Monday announced in a handwritten statement appearing to be stained in blood that she is quitting Iranian cinema due to the protest killings.

“I will never again play any role in this soil that smells of blood. This is my main role,” she wrote, also saying she is boycotting the Fajr International Film Festival.

The state-run festival opened this week amid boycotts from artists and the public, but some of the directors and actors who took part lashed out at those who were absent.

Film director and screenwriter Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian received a backlash online after calling boycotters “cowards” and saying he is happy not to have hired “a bunch of scared stars” for his state-funded film featuring at the festival.