Casualties of the Iranian revolution

Part of a series on the
History of the
Iranian revolution
Topics
Revolutionary leaders
Parties and organizations
Official institutions
Events
See also

Casualties of the Iranian revolution refers to those who lost their lives during the Iranian revolution. Observers differ on how many people died during the Iranian revolution. The current Islamic government uses the figure of 60,000 killed; in reference to this figure, the military historian Spencer C. Tucker notes that "Khomeini's regime grossly overstated the revolution's death toll for propaganda purposes".[1] The sociologist Charles Kurzman, drawing on later more detailed records from the Islamic Republic, believes the number was closer to 2,000-3,000.

Tucker explains that the consensus of historians regarding estimated deaths during the Iranian revolution (from January 1978 to February 1979), numbers between 532 and 2,781.[1]

The number of protesters and political prisoners killed after the fall of the Shah by the new Islamic Republic as it consolidated power is estimated by human rights groups to be several thousand.[2][3][4][5][6] According to Tucker's estimations, in the period of 1980 to 1985, between 25,000 to 40,000 Iranians were arrested, 15,000 Iranians were tried and 8,000 to 9,500 Iranians were executed.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Tucker, Spencer C. (2017). The Roots and Consequences of Civil Wars and Revolutions: Conflicts that Changed World History. ABC-CLIO. p. 439.
  2. ^ Source: Letter from Amnesty International to the Shaul Bakhash, 6 July 1982. Quoted in The Reign of the Ayatollahs by Shaul Bakhash, p. 111
  3. ^ Abrahamian, Tortured Confessions (1999), pp. 135–6, 167, 169
  4. ^ Abrahamian, Ervand, History of Modern Iran, Columbia University Press, 2008, p. 181
  5. ^ "Massacre 1988 (Pdf)" (PDF). Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Khomeini fatwa 'led to killing of 30,000 in Iran'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2013.