President Ebrahim Raisi has urged law enforcement to take “decisive” action against protesters in Iran after nine days of protests over the death of a young woman in deputy police custody that left more than 40 dead.
Abroad, demonstrations in support of the movement in Iran took place on Saturday in several countries: Canada, the United States, Chile, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and neighboring Iraq, Iran.
The protests were sparked on September 16, the day Mahsa Amini died, three days after she was arrested in Tehran for “wearing inappropriate clothing” and not following the strict dress code for women in the Islamic Republic of Iran .
They are the most important since the November 2019 fuel-price-triggered protests amid the economic crisis, which affected and severely repressed 100 cities in Iran (230 dead according to official report, more out of 300 according to Amnesty International).
Authorities deny any involvement in the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from Kurdistan Region (north-west). But since September 16, angry Iranians have taken to the streets at nightfall to demonstrate.
According to the non-detailed official report including protesters and police, 41 people were killed. But the toll could be higher as the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) reports that at least 54 protesters were killed in the crackdown.
Mr Raisi, a long-time conservative, described the protests as “riots” and on Saturday called on “the authorities concerned to take decisive action against those who are undermining the security and peace of the country and the people”.
In a statement, he underlined “the need to distinguish between protest and disruption of public order and security”.
government demonstration
Iran’s foreign ministry blamed the unrest on the United States, Iran’s sworn enemy, and warned that “efforts to violate Iran’s sovereignty will not go unanswered.”
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, quoted by the official IRNA agency, told him he expected “the judiciary to swiftly prosecute the main perpetrators and leaders of these riots” after police announced the arrest of more than 700 people.
According to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 17 journalists have been arrested in Iran since September 19.
Like last Friday, the authorities have called for a pro-government demonstration in Tehran on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday night, demonstrations again swept across several cities in Iran, including the capital Tehran, where viral video showed a woman walking with her head uncovered, waving her veil in the middle of the street, violating strict dress codes.
In Iran, women are required to cover their hair and body below the knees and are not allowed to wear tight pants or ripped jeans, among other things.
Viral footage of the protests showed Iranian women burning their headscarves.
The reformist party “People’s Union of Islamic Iran” on Saturday called on the state to lift the headscarf requirement and release those arrested.
“Brave Women”
The demonstrations have been marked by clashes with security forces, and police vehicles are set on fire by protesters who, according to the media and activists, are chanting anti-government slogans.
For a few days online videos have been showing scenes of violence in Tehran and other major cities such as Tabriz (northwest). On some we see the security forces shooting at demonstrators.
Amnesty International accuses the security forces of “deliberately shooting […] with live ammunition at demonstrators” and called for “urgent international measures to end the repression”.
Internet connections are also interrupted on Saturday, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked. NetBlocks, a London-based website that monitors internet blocking around the world, also reported on Skype.
In a new Instagram post, two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi called on people around the world to “show solidarity” with protesters in Iran and saluted the “brave women who are leading the protests to demand their rights.” “.