Beirut, 22 November 2022 (dpa/MIA) - Forty foreigners are among the hundreds arrested by the Iranian regime and accused of crimes connected to the months-long nationwide protests in the country, Iranian judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi told state news agency IRNA on Tuesday. Iran's enemies want to create a "black and bitter" picture of the country "full of chaos and insecurity," the state news agency quoted Setayeshi as saying. The spokesperson said those arrested are facing charges including espionage and will face trial conducted under Islamic criminal law. A total of 1,118 protesters in Iran have been indicted on allegations of endangering national security, Setayeshi said. At least six protesters have been sentenced to death so far. The Iranian official said those sentenced could appeal. Protests in Iran have reportedly grown increasingly violent in recent days. In Kurdish areas in the west and north-west of Iran, eyewitnesses have described scenes resembling a civil war. The UN Human Rights Office said more than 40 people have been killed in Kurdish cities in Iran in recent days as state security forces significantly increased their presence. There were also reportedly deaths and numerous arrests in other parts of the country. Since protests began in mid-September, more than 300 demonstrators across Iran have died, including more than 40 children, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Other human rights activists place the number of dead at over 430 and say around 17,500 protesters have been arrested. According to Iranian government sources, members of the state security forces have died as well. Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, on Tuesday described the situation in Iran as critical in the face of growing violence. "We urge the authorities to address people’s demands for equality, dignity and rights – instead of using unnecessary or disproportionate force to suppress the protests," said his office in Geneva. "The lack of accountability for gross human rights violations in Iran remains persistent and is contributing to the growing grievances." On Thursday, a special session of the UN Human Rights Council is due to be held in Geneva on the situation in Iran at the request of Germany and Iceland, which submitted a resolution to establish a commission to investigate the situation in more detail. The 47 member countries of the council are to vote on this. Setayeshi, the Iranian judiciary spokesperson, denied that the Iranian government had used violence against protesters. Demonstrators, on the other hand, report that Iranian security forces were shooting indiscriminately at protesters or even motorists. Videos appearing to show such incidents have been shared on social media. The nationwide protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman. She died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested by Iran's so-called morality police for violating stirct Islamic dress codes.