In a rare though not unprecedented move, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indirectly acknowledged excesses in the crackdown on the protests that reportedly left over 200 dead, according to Amnesty International.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, presented Khamenei with a report about the protests over the recent fuel subsidy cuts. In response, Khamenei decreed, “Based on the existing legal framework, normal citizens who did not have any role in the latest protest and riots and lost their lives in the conflict will be considered martyrs.” The designation allows families to claim compensation and other benefits.

The Iranian authorities had labeled the protesters “rioters” and claimed there were armed individuals in the crowds. According to family members of some of those who were killed, some were caught in the middle of the protests. Khamenei’s decree is the first acknowledgement by the authorities of the excessive police response to the protests.

Despite Khamenei's decision, many family members are still struggling to find answers, and the government has pressured those asking questions to remain silent. According to the sister of Amir Hossein Kabiri, who was killed in the recent protests, the authorities pressured the family not to hold a mourning ceremony. His sister claims that witnesses told her he was shot by the police. Other family members have been arrested for speaking out on his killing.