The protests in Iran do not subside. in several cities in the country despite threats of an iron fist from the regime. Several NGOs have reported that they are receiving information that hundreds have already died from the repression. The authorities have warned that they may resort to capital punishment as a method to cool down the mobilizations. The internet and telephone outage is approaching 72 hours and makes it difficult to follow the events on the ground, but information and videos broadcast from rallies and hospitals – probably via satellite – reflect a situation of permanent escalation after days of protests against the Government, mainly due to the serious economic situation. In the street, groups of protesters barricaded behind burning containers challenge the security forces, while bodies with bullets in the head and neck accumulate in the morgues.
The strong deployment of the authorities in the capital is leading protesters to stage fleeting concentrations, according to human rights groups, avoiding clashes with police forces that increase violence and fly drones over Tehran. In Mashhad (northeast), a city of symbolic importance for the Iranian theocracy for hosting the most sacred temple of Shiite Islam, several videos show groups of young people with their faces covered challenging armed agents by blocking roads under the apparent sound of gunshots. Protests were also recorded on Saturday in Rasht (north), Tabriz (west) or in the southern Shiraz or Kerman.
The Iranian president, Masud Pezeshkian, accused the United States and Israel this Sunday of wanting to “sow chaos and disorder” in Iran by ordering “riots,” and asked citizens to distance themselves from “troublemakers and terrorists.” The president of the United States, Donald Trump, if the repression of the protests continues; This Saturday, in a message on his social network, Truth, he stated: “Iran seeks freedom, perhaps like never before. The United States is ready to help!” In addition, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, among other matters, they discussed the situation in Iran, reported Axiosas indicated by Reuters.
remains high after Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned on Saturday that those who participate in the riots could be considered “enemies of God”, an accusation that can carry the death penalty. The supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and the highest authorities of the security apparatus have also warned that a heavy hand will be applied to what they describe as “troublemakers” who play into the hands of Iran’s enemies.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency – which is once again accessible abroad, unlike the first days of the blackout in Iran – reports this Sunday of the arrest of “200 leaders and operational heads of terrorist groups.” According to the information, which cites security sources, the detainees possessed “a considerable amount of ammunition, weapons, grenades and Molotov cocktails.” The agency records disturbances that have caused fires in 26 homes and reports arson attacks on 34 mosques, 40 banks, 13 government buildings, 15 shopping centers and 50 vehicles, according to the Tehran fire department. Some observers have suggested that the businesses attacked are linked to the authorities.
Iranian groups report the deaths of at least 117 people during two weeks of protests, but several medical sources suggest the total number is higher. The magazine Time reported that six hospitals in the capital received 217 bodies as of Thursday night, when the mobilization and the authorities’ response passed a turning point, with the internet being cut off. Most of the bodies, the source indicates, had marks from “live ammunition.” The Human Rights Documentation Center in Iran (HRDC) mentions an incident on Thursday night in which police opened fire on a crowd from a police station in the capital, killing at least 30 people.
There is more information that places the number of fatalities at more than 200. The family of Rubina Aminian, a 23-year-old fashion student, traveled to Tehran from Marivan, in Iranian Kurdistan, to identify the body of the young woman, shot in a demonstration after leaving class. Upon arrival, according to information collected by the Oslo-based organization Human Rights in Iran (IHR), the family found a compound with “hundreds of bodies.” “The majority of victims were between 18 and 22 years old and had been shot from close range in the head or neck,” indicated people present at the identification, the NGO’s report indicates.
For its part, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which operates from the United States, stated this Saturday that the number of confirmed deaths during the demonstrations amounts to 116, despite the interruption of the flow of information caused by internet outages, the Efe agency reported.
