Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities have launched an online portal for people to report the names of loved ones missing from a government list of thousands killed during recent nationwide protests, as calls for accountability grow.Authorities say 3,117 people were killed during the anti-establishment protests that began in late December, rejecting statements by the United Nations and international human rights organisations that state forces were behind the killings, which were mostly carried out on January 8 and 9.The United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has verified 6,872 deaths and is investigating more than 11,000 other cases. A UN special rapporteur has said the death toll may be higher than 20,000 as information trickles out despite heavy internet filtering by the state.On Sunday, the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian released the names of 2,986 Iranians confirmed to have been killed during the protests. It said the remaining 131 have not been identified, so a complementary list will be forthcoming at an undisclosed time.The list includes the full names of those killed, the first name of their father, and the last six digits of their 10-digit national identification number. It does not elaborate where, when, how or by whom they were killed, and avoids any further classification, such as distinguishing between protesters and heavily armed state forces.Since the release of the list, many Iranians have taken to social media to report the omission of names of people confirmed by their families and friends to have been killed during the protests. The register also contained a number of repetitive entries, with matching names and nationa …
