At least 538 people have died in protests that began in Iran on December 28 of last year due to the economic crisis and have since spread to more than a hundred cities across the country, according to the NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Sunday. This opposition organization to the ayatollahs' regime, which operates from the United States, indicated that of that number, 48 would be Iranian security personnel and 490 protesters, including eight minors. According to figures provided to EFE by Skylar Thompson, deputy director of HRA, the death toll in the 15 days of protests could reach 579, although it is still under verification. The number of arrests since December 28 in Iran has reached 10,675 people, of which 160 would be minors and 52 students. Numerous and massive demonstrations are taking place in hundreds of cities in Iran, where there is no internet or coverage for more than 72 hours, and where the protests, which initially arose from the country's poor economic situation, have become complaints against the Islamic Republic and Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
