“At least 27 protesters have been killed by gunfire or other forms of violence carried out by security forces in eight provinces. Five of those killed have been verified to have been children,” the NGO said after 10 days of protests, adding that more than 1,000 people had been detained.

IHR accused security forces of killing at least six people in a single incident alone on Saturday when they opened fire on protesters in the Malekshahi district of western Ilam province.

It said that on Sunday security forces raided a hospital in Ilam where wounded demonstrators from Malekshahi had been taken and arrested a number of protesters.

Nationwide, protests have spread to at least 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces, it said, adding that students have held demonstrations at more than 20 universities.

According to a tally based on official announcements in Iranian media, at least 12 people have been killed since the protests began, including members of the security forces.

“The Islamic Republic has a well-documented record of bloody repression and mass killings of protesters in past uprisings,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.

IHR has already said it confirmed more than 550 killings in a crackdown on the 2022-2023 protest movement in Iran.

“Now, as the regime is more unstable than ever and seriously fears for its survival, there is a grave concern that the scale of repression this time may be even more violent and widespread than before,” Amiry-Moghaddam added.