Iran cut internet access to conceal protest killings: Amnesty

The statement was released on the anniversary of the deadly protests, where at least 304 people were killed and "hidden from the world", according to the rights watchdog.

Mapping trails of videos, deaths and internet access data from last November, the watchdog also launched a microsite of its documentation in collaboration with the Hertie School and the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA) project.

"When news of the deadly crackdown began to emerge from Iran last November, the world was shocked by the brutal violence of the security forces. The authorities deliberately blocked internet access inside Iran, hiding the true extent of the horrendous human rights violations that they were carrying out across the country," Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International was quoted as saying.

"The government thought they could silence the population by taking the country offline, but the Iranian people were determined to tell the world the truth. Our new website is a tribute to the courage of everyone who captured on camera the scenes of violence that the authorities wanted to keep hidden," Eltahawy said.

Amnesty International also called on member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council to probe the unlawful killings and to hold trials against those found to have ordered, planned and carried out the killings.

Read also: Iranian man dies following 'police torture' on Mashhad street

The protests erupted in Iran after the government upped the price of fuel. 

In the five days of protests that followed, Amnesty International verified the killing of at least 304 men, women and children with mainly gunshots. 

The organisation says it beleives the real number of deaths is "much higher".

"The ongoing cover-up by Iranian authorities means the true death toll may never be known," the statement said.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected