Death toll from Iranian protests climbs to 41
Protests continued for the eighth day in a row in Tehran and several Iranian provinces, while Tehran on Friday evening formed the scene of violent skirmishes between demonstrators and security forces, a week after angry protests over the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, while she was detained by the “moral police”.
Her suppression led to the death of at least 41 According to the latest official statistics, a human rights organization said that the number of victims reached 50 people.
The Iranian authorities escalated the tone of waving to suppress the protests. President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that Iran must “deal firmly with those who attack the country’s security and peace.
Iranian state television reported that the death toll had risen to 41, and broadcast footage showing “rioters” in the streets of north and west Tehran, as well as “some provinces”, saying that they set fire to public and private properties.
However, the number may be higher, as the Oslo-based opposition NGO Iran Human Rights reported that at least 50 people were killed during the crackdown on demonstrations.
NetBlocks, a non-governmental organization that monitors network security and internet freedom, said Skype is now restricted in Iran, as part of a crackdown on communications targeting other platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn.
Videos showed crowds of protesters in three of Tehran’s largest neighborhoods, Starkhan, Aktaban, and Sadiqiyah, as plumes of smoke rose from the roads amid heavy gunfire and police use of tear gas. The protesters insisted on chanting slogans condemning the Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei.
Activists and media reported late Friday that demonstrators in several Iranian cities clashed with security forces, burned police cars, and chanted anti-establishment slogans. Pictures spread on social networks of Iranian women burning headscarves in a country where they are required to cover their heads.
The Norway-based Human Rights Organization for Iran reported on Friday that at least 50 people had been killed in the protests.
It added that on the night of September 21, the security forces shooting killed at least 19 people, including four children. “The high death toll is a worrying indication of the severity of the authorities’ attack on human life in the darkness left by the internet shutdown,” the organization said.
Azizullah Maliki, the police chief in Gilan province, stated that the arrest campaign in the province affected “739 people, including 60 women, whom he described as “rioters”.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Maleki as saying that many weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also seized during the arrests.
