London, January 24, 2019, SPA -- The Amnesty International said that the Iranian authorities carried out a shameless campaign of repression during 2018, crushing protests and arresting thousands in a wide-scale crackdown on dissent. In a statement issued today, the organization has today revealed that more than 7,000 protesters, journalists, workers, lawyers and minority rights activists were arrested, many arbitrarily. Hundreds were sentenced to prison terms or flogging and at least 26 protesters were killed. Nine people arrested in connection with protests died in custody under suspicious circumstances. The organization affirmed that 2018 will go down in history as a ‘year of shame’ for Iran. --SPA 17:09 LOCAL TIME 14:09 GMT 0016 www.spa.gov.sa/w825747