The death toll in the demonstrations that have been taking place for six consecutive days in Iran, due to the death of a young woman detained by the police, amounts to 17, Iranian state television reported Thursday.
“Seventeen people, including protesters and policemen, have lost their lives in the events of recent days,” Iranian state television reported, without giving the number of protesters among the dead.
The previous official death toll, released in the morning, indicated that seven demonstrators and four members of the security forces were killed during the protests.
Three paramilitaries “mobilized to confront protesters” in Tabriz (northwest), Qazvin (center) and Mashhad (northeast) were killed on Wednesday, according to Iranian news agencies.
A member of the security forces was also killed on Tuesday during the protests in Shiraz (center), according to the same sources.
The Iranian authorities have denied any involvement of the security forces in the killings of protesters. Mahsa Amini, 22, originally from Kurdistan (northwest), was arrested by the morality police on September 13 in Tehran for “wearing inappropriate clothing”.
That unit is responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code, where women must cover their hair and are not allowed to wear short or tight clothing, among other prohibitions. The young woman died on September 16 at the hospital.
Activists say the girl was shot in the head, a claim denied by authorities, who say the woman was not mistreated and say Mahsa Amini died of a heart attack. Iranian authorities have opened an investigation.
The demonstrations broke out immediately after the announcement of the young woman’s death. Since then, protests have broken out in at least 15 cities, including the Shiite holy city of Qom, southwest of Tehran, the birthplace of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Amnesty International (AI) denounced “a brutal repression” and “the illegal use of steel balls, tear gas, water cannons and batons to disperse the demonstrators.”
blocked social networks
Since the beginning of the protests, internet connections have been restricted and subsequently the authorities have blocked access to social networks.
Instagram and WhatsApp have been the most used apps in Iran since YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, Twitter and Tiktok platforms were blocked in recent years. In addition, Internet access is largely controlled by the authorities.
In southern Iran, videos apparently from Wednesday showed protesters burning a huge portrait of General Qassem Soleimani, killed in a US strike in Iraq in January 2020.
In other parts of the country, protesters set police vehicles on fire and shouted anti-government slogans, according to the official IRNA news agency. Police responded with tear gas and made several arrests. Other images showed protesters resisting the police and the most viral images on social networks are those in which women are seen setting fire to their headscarves.
Mahsa Amini’s death sparked strong condemnation around the world, as international non-governmental organizations denounced a brutal crackdown on the protests. US President Joe Biden said Wednesday at the United Nations that she stands in solidarity with the “brave women of Iran.”
Source: TSF
