The Iranian army said this Friday that it is “prepared” to help the police, “in defense of national security”, to deal with the protests that have shaken the country for a week over the death of a young woman detained by the police. .
In a statement, the military described the protests as “desperate actions of the enemy’s diabolical strategy to weaken the Islamic regime.”
“We stand ready to assist our fellow police officers,” the statement said.
“The Armed Forces will never allow the enemy to undermine the ideals of Imam Khomeini,” the military statement said.
The Army’s statements come a day after the powerful Revolutionary Guard described the protests as “sedition” and called on the Judiciary to prosecute those who “spread rumors and lies” on social media and in the streets.
The Iranian army does not usually intervene in protests, a role reserved for the Revolutionary Guard.
The Iranian authorities insist that the protests are incited by the “foreign enemy” with the intervention of embassies and intelligence services of other countries.
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.
Protests have been repeated in the past week and have left at least 17 dead in more than 20 cities, state television IRIB reported on Thursday, though Europe-based human rights groups said 31 had already been killed.
In these protests, many women burn the headscarves (veils) and portraits of Iran’s former supreme leader, Khomeini (1902-1989), gestures that until now were considered unthinkable.
The Iranian government is heavily controlling the Internet and for the past two days has kept mobile networks down from 9 pm until the next morning.
Source: TSF
