TEHRAN: Seventeen people have been killed in six straight nights of protests in Iran against the death of a young woman in morality police custody, state television reported in a toll update Thursday.
“Seventeen people, including demonstrators and policemen, have lost their lives in the events of the past few days,” state television reported without giving a breakdown.
The previous official toll was seven protesters and four members of the security forces killed.
Three paramilitaries “mobilized to confront the rioters” were shot dead or stabbed in the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan province, Qazvin, in the province of the same name, and Mashhad, in Razavi Khorasan province, Iranian news agencies reported.
A member of the security forces was also killed Tuesday during protests in Shiraz, Fars province, the agencies said.
Officials have denied the security forces had any involvement in the deaths of the protesters.
