More than a week after Mahza Amini’s death, clashes between protesters and security forces remain bloody. According to state television Irib, 41 people were killed. But the number could be higher.
Within two days, more than a thousand people, including journalists who had come to cover the protests in the north of the country, were reportedly arrested.
Dress code violation
Popular anger was sparked on September 16 by the death of Mahza Amini. The 22-year-old from Kurdistan was arrested three days ago in Tehran for “wearing inappropriate clothes” and not respecting the country’s strict dress code for women.
The unrest is the biggest since the November 2019 protests, which were fueled by rising petrol prices amid an economic crisis. A hundred cities were then affected and the repression was brutal, killing 230 people according to the authorities and more than 300 according to Amnesty International.
“riots”
Ultra-conservative President Ibrahim Raisi, who described the protests as “riots” on Saturday, called for “resolute action by the relevant authorities against those who undermine the security and peace of the country and the people”.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned US intervention in the unrest and warned that “attempts to violate Iran’s sovereignty will not be responded to”. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said he expected the “judiciary to quickly prosecute the main perpetrators and leaders” after more than 700 arrests were announced.
The reformist “Islamic Iran People’s Union” party on Saturday urged the government to scrap the veil requirement and release those arrested. For its part, the government has restricted access to the internet: WhatsApp and Instagram have been blocked.
Abroad, rallies were held in support of the protesters in Canada, the United States, Chile, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Iran’s neighbor Iraq.
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