Margherita Stancati

Even at lower estimates of the crackdowns, this would rank as one of the biggest political killings in recent history, exceeding even the toll of China's 1989 move to clear Tiananmen Square.

We knew from very early on that many people were killed when the government responded with brutal force, especially on January 8th and 9th.

But Iranians are beginning to share their accounts with family, friends and activists outside.

The true scale of the killings is only now becoming clear.

For instance, one group called Human Rights Activists in Iran has now confirmed close to 6,000 dead and more government forces were also killed.

But they're also investigating something like 17,000 dead.

Other groups are also saying that they believe the death toll is close to 10,000, possibly higher than that.

The country is in a state of shock, in a state of mourning.

Almost everyone you speak to, or at least that we've spoken to, knows someone who was killed or at least injured in the protests.

And many parts of the country, there's a quasi martial law in place.

What we're hearing is that after dark, people are told to stay home.

There's a heavy security presence on the streets.

And we still don't know exactly how many people have been arrested, but some rights groups speak of tens of thousands of arrests.

What we'll be watching is how many of those arrests will lead to convictions that potentially carry the death penalty.

If so, we could see many more people dying following the protests.

He appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica. He blessed the crowd that had gathered there for Easter.

He appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica. He blessed the crowd that had gathered there for Easter.

He appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica. He blessed the crowd that had gathered there for Easter.

The Pope seemed very frail and still breathless. Our colleague Margarita Stancati is based in Rome. Pope Francis had a life-threatening bout with pneumonia recently. He wished everybody Happy Easter. And then he also got on his Popemobile and drove through the crowd. And that was the last time we saw him in public. So this morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had died.

The Pope seemed very frail and still breathless. Our colleague Margarita Stancati is based in Rome. Pope Francis had a life-threatening bout with pneumonia recently. He wished everybody Happy Easter. And then he also got on his Popemobile and drove through the crowd. And that was the last time we saw him in public. So this morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had died.