Iranian protesters defy crackdown in nationwide demonstrations

DUBAI – Protesters across Iran defied an almost month-long crackdown on Saturday, activists said. Death of Masa Amini.

of Protests sweep Iran after death of Amini, 22, from Iran’s Kurdish region While detained for “improperly dressed” on September 16, it has become one of the most serious challenges for the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

While the unrest appears to be far from overthrowing the system, the protests have closed shops and businesses, affected a vital energy sector, and even led to strikes that sparked brazen acts of dissent against Iran’s religious rule. Expanded.

The video, posted by the Norway-based organization Iranian Human Rights, shows demonstrators shouting “Clerics are lost” as drivers yell in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Iran’s second most populous city. is said to be sounding the horn.

A video posted by the group showed a strike by shopkeepers in Amini’s hometown of Saqez, a Kurdish northwestern city.

Another video on social media showed high school girls chanting “woman, life and freedom” in the streets of Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan.

Protests were also reported in Isfahan, in central Iran, and in the southeast of the country.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the video. Iran’s phone and internet services have been disrupted frequently over the past month, with internet watchdog NetBlocks reporting “major new disruptions” just before Saturday’s protests began.

Amini died in custody after being detained by the moral police for violating strict religious rules requiring women to dress modestly.

teenage girl died

Iran’s activist news agency HRANA said on Saturday that 233 people were killed in the unrest, including 32 minors and 26 security force personnel. More than 7,000 people were arrested in protests in 112 municipalities and about 70 universities, he said in an online post.

A teenage girl was among the victims, and her death has sparked calls for more demonstrations demanding the fall of the Islamic Republic.

Protesters called for demonstrations on Saturday in the northwestern city of Ardabil over the death of Asura Panahi, a teenager from an Azerbaijani minority who activists said were beaten to death by security forces. .