The Associated Press said it has faced major obstacles in tracking the death toll from Iran’s nationwide protests, including a government decision to cut off internet access across the country. AP said the disruption has compounded the difficulty of monitoring casualties, even as some information has continued to get out.
AP said it has relied on figures provided by the Human Rights Activists News Agency. The AP described the U.S.-based group as a nonprofit founded 20 years ago, and said the agency has been accurate throughout multiple years of demonstrations.
AP said the agency’s reporting relies on a network of activists inside Iran that confirms reported fatalities. AP said that confirmation can involve speaking with medical officials, family members and community leaders, and checking against funeral notices and other official documents.
The AP also said the agency is a tax-exempt nonprofit registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and that one of its founders is Keyvan Rafiee. AP said Rafiee faced repeated imprisonment at home before leaving the Islamic Republic for the United States.
AP said it has not been able to independently confirm the agency’s toll because communications are greatly limited in Iran. AP said Iran’s theocratic government has not provided overall casualty figures for the demonstrations, and that Iranian state media has provided little information about the protests, making it difficult to assess the scale of the demonstrations.
AP said videos that have surfaced online have offered only brief, shaky glimpses of people in the streets, as well as the sound of gunfire. AP said it has relied on some of those videos, which it said likely made it out of Iran via Starlink satellite dishes.
The AP said it authenticates footage by checking it against known locations and events and by talking to regional experts. AP said it also ensures that the substance of the video is consistent with its own reporting.