Iranian authorities warn of repercussions for protests over death of Mahsa Amini

Iranian authorities warned Thursday of repercussions for those participating in nationwide protests over the death of a young woman in police custody.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard called on the Islamic Republic’s judiciary on Thursday to prosecute “those who spread false news and rumours,” while Iran’s Intelligence Ministry warned that attending such protests is illegal and demonstrators would face prosecution, Iranian news websites reported.

Protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles earlier on Thursday as public outrage over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini showed no signs of easing, with reports of security forces coming under attack.

Amini died last week after being arrested in Tehran for wearing “unsuitable attire.” She fell into a coma while in detention. The authorities have said they would launch an investigation into the cause of her death.

In a statement, the Guard expressed sympathy with the family and relatives of Amini.

“We have requested the judiciary to identify those who spread false news and rumours on social media as well as on the street and who endanger the psychological safety of society and to deal with them decisively,” said the Guard, which has cracked down on protests in the past.

More protests expected

Women have played a prominent role in the protests, waving and burning their veils, with some cutting their hair in public.

Pro-government protests are planned for Friday, and some marchers have already taken to the streets, Iranian media said.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has ordered speedy action in the case of the rioters to “maintain the security and peace of the citizens,” Tasnim News Agency reported.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran’s morality police, accusing them of abuse and violence against Iranian women and of violating the rights of peaceful Iranian protesters, the U.S. Treasury said.

The protests over Amini’s death are the biggest in the Islamic Republic since 2019. Most have been concentrated in Iran’s Kurdish-populated northwest but have spread to the capital and at least 50 cities and towns nationwide, with police using force to disperse protesters. Amini was from the province of Kurdistan.

A group of United Nations experts, including Javaid Rehman, special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and Mary Lawlor, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, demanded accountability for Amini’s death.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Ms. Amini. She is another victim of Iran’s sustained repression and systematic discrimination against women and the imposition of discriminatory dress codes that deprive women of bodily autonomy and the freedoms of opinion, expression and belief,” the experts said in a statement.

A new mobile internet disruption was registered in the country, internet monitoring group Netblocks wrote on Twitter, in a possible sign that the authorities fear the protests will intensify.

On Twitter, WhatsApp said it is working to keep Iranian users connected, adding that it is not blocking Iranian numbers.

A member of an Iranian pro-government paramilitary organization, the Basij, was stabbed to death in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday, two semi-official Iranian news agencies reported on Thursday.

The Tasnim and Fars news agencies’ reports of the stabbing appeared on the social media platform Telegram, as both their websites were not functioning on Thursday. There was no official confirmation of the death.

Police stations burn

Tasnim said another member of the Basij was killed on Wednesday in the city of Qazvin as a result of a gunshot wound inflicted by “rioters and gangs.”

Nour news, a media outlet affiliated with a top security body, shared a video of an army officer confirming the death of a soldier in the unrest, bringing the total reported number of security force members killed in the unrest to five.

An official from Mazandaran said 76 members of the security forces were injured in the province during the unrest, while the police commander of Kurdistan said more than 100 security forces were wounded.

In the northeast, protesters shouted, “We will die, we will die, but we’ll get Iran back,” near a police station, which was set on fire, a video posted on Twitter account 1500tasvir showed. The account focuses on protests in Iran and has about 100,000 followers. Reuters could not verify the footage.

Amini’s death has reignited anger over such issues as restrictions on personal freedoms in Iran — including strict dress codes for women — and an economy reeling from economic sanctions.

Iran’s clerical rulers fear a revival of the 2019 protests that erupted over gasoline price increases, the bloodiest in the Islamic Republic’s history. Reuters reported 1,500 people were killed.

Protesters this week also expressed anger at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Mojtaba, may you die and not become Supreme Leader,” a crowd was seen chanting in Tehran, referring to Khamenei’s son, who some believe could succeed his father at the top of Iran’s political establishment.

Reuters could not verify the video.

Reports by Kurdish rights group Hengaw, which Reuters also could not verify, said the death toll in Kurdish areas had climbed to 15 and the number of injured to 733. Iranian officials have denied that security forces have killed protesters, suggesting they may have been shot by armed dissidents.

According to a tally on Thursday by The Associated Press, based on statements from Iran’s state-run and semi-official media, at least nine people have died as a results of the protests.

In northern Iran, crowds armed with batons and rocks attacked two members of the security forces on a motorbike as a crowd cheered, according to footage that Reuters was unable to verify.

Original News : https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-protests-mahsa-amini-1.6591223?cmp=rss