Deaths from Iran's crackdown on protests has surpassed 7,000, activists say

The death toll from a crackdown over Iran’s nationwide protests has reached at least 7,002 people killed with many more still feared dead, activists said Thursday.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which offered the latest figures, has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths.

Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Iran’s theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, given authorities have disrupted internet access and international calls in Iran.