Al Jazeera:

By Maziar Motamedi

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 national identification codes.

Late on Tuesday, the government announced a website where people could report the names of loved ones missing from the list. But it was unclear when any potential update would be forthcoming to add names and clarify errors and ambiguities.

People were also urged to report any violations, including being demanded money by authorities to receive the bodies of their loved ones, and any refusal to provide lifesaving medical care to wounded protesters.

The government has consistently rejected all reports of misconduct by state forces, including raids on hospitals and the arrests of medical personnel for assisting protesters.

It has also announced an internal fact-finding mission – as it rejects a UN mandate on the issue – but has provided no details, including who the members are or when findings may be published.

In an apparent attempt to appease families of the victims and the grieving public, a government statement on Sunday said “all of the victims of the recent incidents and unrest were the children of this land and no bereaved person must be abandoned in silence and helplessness”.

However, the messaging was in stark contrast with daily comments from the political, military and judicial authorities, including Pezeshkian, stressing that “terrorists” were behind the “riots”, which they claim were armed and funded by the United States and Israel.

Moreover, in late January, Iran’s Martyrs Foundation said 2,427 of those killed were “innocent”, including civilians and security forces. The figure suggested that the remaining 690 killed may have been classified as the “terrorists” referenced by state officials, but there has been no further clarity on that.

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