Rights group has confirmed over 5,000 killed during Iran protests

PARIS, Jan 23: A US-based rights group said Friday it has confirmed the deaths of more than 5,000 people during protests that swept Iran, and that the vast majority were protesters targeted by security forces.

NGOs tracking the toll from the crackdown on the biggest protests in Iran in years have said their task has been impeded by the now two-week internet shutdown, warning that confirmed figures are likely to be far lower than the actual toll.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed that 5,002 people had been killed, including 4,714 protesters, 42 minors, 207 members of the security forces and 39 bystanders.

But the group added it was still investigating another 9,787 possible fatalities.    �"AFP