but activists said the actual toll risked being many times higher due to a crackdown that suppressed the demonstrations. Demonstrations and strikes initially sparked by economic grievances turned into a mass movement against the clerical leadership that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution, with people pouring into the streets in mass protests for several days from January 8. However the protests appear for now to have petered out in the face of what activists describe as a crackdown under the cover of a blanket internet shutdown. The clerical authorities have condemned the protest wave as a "terrorist" incident characterised by violent "riots" fuelled by the United States. Rights groups however say thousands of protesters demanding change were killed by direct fire from the security forces. In the first official toll from the authorities, a statement by Iran's foundation for veterans and martyrs, cited by state television, said a total of 3,117 people were killed during protests. Of these, 2,427 people in that toll including members of the security forces were considered under Islam to be "martyrs", with the statement calling them "innocent" victims.

"The 690 people who are not among the martyrs are terrorists, rioters, and those who attacked military sites," Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, told state TV. He said the high number of "martyrs" showed the "restraint and tolerance of the security forces" during protests.  (Bssnews)