Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, said on Saturday that Basij militia members gave their life during “riots” that broke out after a young Iranian Kurdish lady died in detention in September.

The Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Basij force has led the nation’s crackdown on protesters as they have spread across the entire nation.

“They have sacrificed their lives to protect people from rioters,” Khamenei said in a televised speech.

Authorities have blamed Iran’s foreign enemies and their agents for orchestrating the unrest, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 after being arrested by the morality police that enforces strict Islamic dress codes in the country.

The activist news agency HRANA said as of Friday 448 protesters have been killed, including 63 children. It said 57 members of the security forces have also been killed, and an estimated 18,170 people arrested.