Sporadic protests continue in Iran
18/9/2023 6:10
Sporadic protests continued
in Iran on Sunday amid a widespread crackdown by security forces
a year after a young Kurdish woman's death in custody set off
some of the worst political unrest in four decades.
The death on Sept. 16 last year of Mahsa Amini, a
22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police for
allegedly flouting mandatory dress codes, triggered months of
some of the biggest protests against the Islamic Republic's
Shi'ite clerical rule ever seen and drew international
condemnation.
On Saturday, Mahsa's father, Amjad Amini, was arrested
briefly and warned against marking the anniversary of his
daughter's death, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network said, and
the family was not able to hold a planned vigil at her grave.
A social media video on Sunday showed protesters in the
western city of Hamadan, clapping and shouting "Death to Islamic
Republic", while another video showed protesters running away
after apparent shooting by security forces. Reuters could not
immediately authenticate the videos.
Following the publication of the videos, the semi-official
Tasnim agency carried a video appearing to show that the streets
of Hamadan were calm.
Rights groups, including the activist HRANA news agency,
reported that a number of people were arrested in the Kurdish
cities of Saqez and Sanandaj. State media reported detentions of
dozens of "terrorists" including an individual allegedly
planning a suicide attack.
Meanwhile, authorities said unidentified gunmen in southern
Iran on Saturday opened fire on the Basij paramilitary volunteer
militia, which has played a prominent role in the crackdown,
killing one and wounding three. It was not immediately clear if
the incident was linked to the current unrest.
Iran's intelligence minister warned that Iran may take
unspecified action against overseas media which Tehran accuses
of fomenting violent unrest in the country.
Iran International, a London-based television station
critical of the Iranian government, in February said it was
moving its live broadcasting studios to the United States
following threats it faced in Britain.
"(Iran) International is a terrorist network, and we will
take action wherever and whenever we recognise any terrorist
act," the semi-official news agency Fars quoted the minister,
Esmail Khatib, as saying.
AMINI 'INSPIRED A MOVEMENT'
In the demonstrations that followed Amini's death more than
500 people, including 71 minors, were killed, hundreds injured
and thousands arrested, rights groups said. Iran carried out
seven executions linked to the unrest.
U.S. President Joe Biden in a statement on Friday said Amini
"inspired a historic movement ... that has impacted Iran and
influenced people across the globe." Hundreds of Amini's
supporters rallied in front of the White House on Saturday.
Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected as "double standards and
lies" Western expressions of support for women's rights in Iran.
In a report last month, Amnesty International said Iranian
authorities "have been subjecting victims' families to arbitrary
arrest and detention, imposing cruel restrictions on peaceful
gatherings at grave sites, and destroying victims' gravestones".
Many journalists, lawyers, activists, students, academics,
artists, public figures and members of ethnic minorities accused
of links with the protest wave, as well as relatives of
protesters killed in the unrest, have been arrested, summoned,
threatened or fired from jobs in the past few weeks, according
to Iranian and Western human rights groups.
Iran blames the unrest on its Western foes and rejects
criticism of its legal system, saying it is based on a lack of
understanding by rights groups of its Islamic laws.
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