AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

May 9-15, 2025

A photo of newly elected Pope Leo XIV adorned a wall above one of the late Pope Francis in Chiclayo, Peru. Brazilian President Lula Inácio Lula da Silva kissed Lucia Topolansky, the widow of late Uruguayan former President José Mujica. Anti-government demonstrators in Panama blocked a highway.

This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The selection was curated by AP photographer Fernando Vergara, based in Bogotá, Colombia.

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The silhouettes of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, are projected during the inauguration of a monument marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Supporters of Argentina's President Javier Milei celebrate during the closing campaign rally for Manuel Adorni, a contender in the upcoming elections for the Buenos Aires city legislature, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

America's Kevin Alvarez controls the ball during a Mexican soccer league first leg semifinal match against Cruz Azul in Mexico City, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Soldiers unload coffins containing the remains of fellow soldiers killed in an explosive attack on the Ecuador-Colombia border, at an airport in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

Independent miners rest after marching to demand a solution to the diesel shortage and the economic crisis, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti reacts after senators voted against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Mourners watch the casket of Uruguay's former President Jose Mujica from the sidelines of his funeral procession from the presidential palace to the National Assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)

Claudio Spinelli of Ecuador's Independiente del Valle falls after a challenge from German Pezzella of Argentina's River Plate during a Copa Libertadores Group B soccer match at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Anti-government demonstrators block a highway to protest a law, which overhauls the social security agency, and the recently signed Panama-U.S. memorandum concerning the Panama Canal, in Santiago, Panama, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva kisses Lucia Topolansky, widow of former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, during funeral ceremonies for the late leader at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

A photo of newly elected Pope Leo XIV, center, hangs among portraits of bishops of the Diocese of Chiclayo, above one of the late Pope Francis, at the bishop's residence and office in Chiclayo, Peru, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran surpassed 2,000 people on Tuesday, activists said, as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown on demonstrators.

The number of dead climbed to at least 2,003, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian state television offered the first official acknowledgment of the deaths, quoting an official saying the country had “a lot of martyrs” and that it did not release a toll earlier because of the dead suffering gruesome injuries. However, that statement came only after activists reported their toll.

The demonstrations began a little over two weeks ago in anger over Iran’s ailing economy and soon targeted the theocracy, particularly 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Images obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press from demonstrations in Tehran showed graffiti and chants calling for Khamenei's death — something that could carry a death sentence.

Soon after the new death toll became public, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!”

He added: “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” Trump did not give details.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he had continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

But after Trump's message Tuesday, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani responded by writing: “We declare the names of the main killers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2-” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The activist group said 1,850 of the dead were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated. Nine children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 16,700 people have been detained, the group said.

With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The AP has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Skylar Thompson with the Human Rights Activists News Agency told AP the new toll was shocking, particularly since it reached four times the death toll of the monthslong 2022 Mahsa Amini protests in just two weeks.

She warned that the toll would still rise: “We’re horrified, but we still think the number is conservative."

Speaking by phone for the first time since their calls were cut off from the outside world, Iranian witnesses described a heavy security presence in central Tehran, burned-out government buildings, smashed ATMs and few passersby. Meanwhile, people were concerned about what comes next, including the possibility of a U.S. attack.

“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave only his first name out of concern for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”

Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests are on many people's minds. “People — particularly young ones — are hopeless, but they talk about continuing the protests,” he said.

Several people in Tehran were able to call the AP on Tuesday and speak to a journalist. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. Witnesses said text messaging was still down, and internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.

Anti-riot police officers wore helmets and body armor while carrying batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers, according to the witnesses. Police stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces.

Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, witnesses said. Banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, they added.

Shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of Iran's rial currency, opened Tuesday. A witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media did not acknowledge that order.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

It also appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.

State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal that some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.

Khamenei, in a statement carried by state TV, praised the tens of thousands who took part in pro-government demonstrations nationwide on Monday.

“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” he said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”

State TV on Monday aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands. They chanted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)

A slogan is written on a wall reading in Farsi: "Death to dictator" in an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)

A placard is placed on bricks which reads in Farsi: "Long live the Shah," referring to the Pahlavi dynasty which was toppled by 1979 Islamic Revolution, in an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo)

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)

FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)