The largest protests in Iran in three years entered their fifth day on Thursday, with state media confirming at least two people had died in clashes with security forces. The deaths were reported in the southwestern city of Lordegan. Witnesses and videos on social media show protesters lying motionless after security forces opened fire. The Oslo-based Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said one person was hit by live ammunition and died before reaching a hospital. An eyewitness described the scene as a "battlefield" where security forces fired "mercilessly." Iranian wrestler Ebrahim Eshaghi, from Lordegan, said, "Today, the people of my city came out into the streets to demand their rights. So far, two young people have been killed and many more have been injured. We ask all the people of the world to be our voice. The Islamic Republic is the enemy of us all." Videos show gunfire by security personnel amid smoke-filled streets and injured people being carried away. The protests began Sunday in Tehran over the collapse of Iran’s national currency and have spread across multiple cities. Demonstrators demand economic justice and an end to the regime. Roya Boroumand of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center said, "Iranians are living below poverty lines in increasing numbers and have no hope [of] any notable improvement of their living conditions. They are angry at the state’s mismanagement and corruption... The state deems any protest that is anti-government illegal, which leads to deadly crackdowns." These protests follow a year in which Iran recorded over 1,500 executions, the highest since 1989. Amnesty International director Hussein Baoumi stated, "Executions are being carried out following grossly unfair trials held behind closed doors, amid widespread patterns of torture and forced confessions." Human rights groups say the death penalty is used to instill fear and suppress dissent.