In Iran, 4,029 people were killed and more than 26,000 detained in a nationwide protest crackdown, said the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Most of the dead were demonstrators, including children, though the toll cannot be independently verified. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had his invitation to speak at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, withdrawn over the killings.
The Munich Security Conference separately withdrew its invitation for Iranian government officials over the crackdown. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged several thousand deaths, blamed the United States, and officials warned of harsh punishments for protesters, raising fears of executions.
