Iranian lawmaker say 5,000 arrested during January protests

TEHRAN – An Iranian lawmaker says authorities detained nearly 5,000 people during the widespread protests and unrest that took place in January.

Parliament member Alireza Rahimi posted on messaging service Telegram Friday that only 492 of those arrested are still in jail and the rest have been released.

Rahimi said only six protesters are detained in the capital Tehran, including two women. He added that some 95 percent of all those arrested were men.

Dozens were killed during the demonstrations that began over economic grievances and quickly spread across the country and turned into anti-government protests.