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Videos of Iranian security forces firing point-blank at unarmed protesters or bloody bodies strewn on the ground are emerging every day with the gradual return of the Internet to Iran. Triggered on November 15 by the announcement of a rise in the price of gasoline, the demonstrations, violent in places, were harshly repressed.
At least " 208 people " were killed in the crackdown , Amnesty International said on Monday, adding that the " actual toll " is even " likely to be higher ." The Iranian authorities have called these reports " absolute lies ", confirming the death of only five people, four members of the security forces killed by " rioters " and a civilian.
One of the cities where repression was, according to many witnesses, fierce is Mahshar, located in the province of Khuzestan, in the south-west of the country. In its edition of Sunday, December 1, the New York Times reported that about 50 people were killed in this city between 16 and 20 November.
«Doushka Soviet heavy machine guns »
The investigative group at the US-based Iran Wire news site was the first to conduct a thorough investigation of seven sources on the ground. This survey published on this site was directed by Shahed Alavi.
He confirms to RFI the information published by the New York Times . " Our investigation is based on statements from seven different sources with whom I spoke," says Shahed Alavi. It turns out that in Mahshar and its suburbs, Koureh and Jarrahi, the population, mostly of Arab origin, has gathered and blocked roads, including those leading to the petrochemical plant. We have many testimonies indicating that these blockages did not cause difficulties for users; petrochemical workers confirmed that they had been able to get to the work site without being bothered by the protesters. Contrary to what the authorities claim, our investigation shows that these people were firm in their demands, but not rioters. They were violently repressed and, without us knowing why, Soviet Doushka heavy machine guns and machine guns were used against them. It is difficult to predict a number with certainty, but it seems that in this city about fifty people have lost their lives, but this assessment is not definitive. "