Francisco Assis· S&D

Nuanced

Thousands of people, the majority of them young, have paid with their lives for the desire for freedom in Iran

Omissions

• The claim does not specify which protests or time period it refers to - it likely references the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' protests that began in September 2022 following Mahsa Amini's death
• The death toll figures vary by source and time period; most documented cases are from the initial 2022-2023 period
• The MEP does not cite any specific source for this claim
• Amnesty International's January 2026 report describes January 2026 as 'the deadliest period of repression by the Iranian authorities in decades,' but this report was published after the session date of 2026-01-20
• Many sources documenting 'thousands' of deaths include both protest-related killings and the high rate of executions in Iran, which are not all directly tied to the freedom protests

Sources

• PrimaryAmnesty International - What happened at the protests in Iran?January 2026 marks the deadliest period of repression by the Iranian authorities in decades of Amnesty's research
• PrimaryAmnesty International - Deadly crackdown on protests against Mahsa Amini's deathIranian security forces violently quashing largely peaceful protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death on 16 September 2022
• TertiaryWikipedia - Mahsa Amini protestsProtests began September 16, 2022, with casualties including hundreds of protesters documented by human rights organizations