BAGHDAD, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The casualty toll in protests since early October in Iraq has risen to 485 dead and some 27,000 wounded, an official from the human rights watchdog said Friday.

"The number of victims since the beginning of the protests in October until today has reached 485 dead and 27,000 injured in all Iraqi provinces that witnessed demonstrations and sit-ins," Ali al-Baiyati, a member of the Iraqi Independent High Commission for Human Rights, told Xinhua.

A protester waves flag in Baghdad, Iraq, on Nov. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

Al-Baiyati said the total number of detainees from the demonstrators reached 2,807, 107 of whom are still in detention.

In addition, up to 48 demonstrators and civil society activists were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen, he added.

Assassinations and kidnappings have increased recently in Iraq, especially among civil society activists who are participating in the anti-government demonstrations that started more than two months ago.

Protesters light candles during a demonstration at Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq, on Nov. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

Earlier, the Iraqi Independent High Commission for Human Rights warned of the growing assassinations of civil activists in the capital Baghdad and other cities.

The commission highlighted the need for efforts by the security services to stop the assassinations targeting unarmed citizens, arrest criminals and bring them to justice.

A man is treated during a protest in Baghdad, Iraq, on Nov. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

Mass demonstrations have continued in Baghdad and other cities in central and southern Iraq since early October, demanding comprehensive reform, fight against corruption, better public services and more job opportunities.  ■