U.N. condemns up to 23 killings in Iran's border area with Pakistan

GENEVA, March 5 (Reuters) - At least a dozen people and possibly up to 23 have been killed in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province where Revolutionary Guards and security forces have used excessive force against fuel couriers from ethnic minorities and protesters, the United Nations said on Friday.

Rupert Colville, U.N. human rights spokesman, told a Geneva briefing that it has been difficult to verify the death toll due to disruptions of local mobile data networks. "We call on the authorities to immediately restore Internet access in areas that remain disconnected," he said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay)