More than 50,000 people have been arrested by the authorities in Iran, according to estimates by the US-based Iranian news agency "Human Rights Activists", which said that repression in the country continues, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
In early January, the Islamic Republic violently suppressed the mass protest movement that erupted in late December and reached its peak on January 8 and 9.
The Iranian authorities admit that thousands of people have died, but claim that the majority of them were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by "terrorists" acting on behalf of the US and Israel.
The US-based NGO, which had previously reported over 42,000 arrests, today revised its estimate to at least 50,235 arrests related to the protests.
These arrests have included "a wide range of citizens, including students, writers and teachers", according to the organization, which added that in some cases they have been accompanied by "searches of homes and confiscation of personal belongings".
Meanwhile, the Iranian reformist daily "Sharq" published an unusually critical article about the arrests of doctors in connection with the recent mass protests, DPA reported.
The newspaper today published the names of 25 medical workers who were arrested early last month.
In recent weeks, human rights activists have reported that doctors who treated injured protesters have been subjected to repression - something that has prompted denials from the authorities.
An investigative article by journalist Niloufar Hamedi included opinions from critics of the authorities. An anonymous doctor defended the fact that the protesters were given medical care.
"Whether in a hospital, in an office, at home or on the street, it makes no difference," he said, adding that the first priority of every nurse and doctor who wants to fulfill their Hippocratic oath is to save people's lives.
The media in Iran is subject to increased censorship, DPA notes.