This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)
January 22, 2026 - 12:00 PM
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (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 U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency 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.
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.
News from © The Associated Press, 2026