Death toll from Iran’s protests rises to 304 : Reports
The director of the Iranian Human Rights Organization, Mahmoud Amiri Moghadam, announced today, Saturday, that the number of victims of the protests in the country exceeded 304 people.
Among the victims, according to Moghadam, are 41 minors and 24 women since the protests began last September.
On Friday, he added, at least 16 protesters were killed in Sistan and Baluchestan provinces.
The (Iran International) channel reported earlier today, quoting Mawlawi Abdul Hamid, the Imam of the Sunnis in Iran, that 16 people were killed in the protests in the southeastern city of Khash on Friday.
Iran has witnessed protests in separate parts of the country for several weeks after the killing of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the police for wearing a headscarf that the authorities considered “inappropriate.”
Today, Saturday, the “Iran International” website revealed the deterioration of the situation in the city of Khash, in the province of Sistan-Baluchestan, southeast of Iran, where the protests there resulted in the death toll from Iranian security bullets to more than 16 dead and dozens injured.
In the seventh week of the popular uprising of Iranians against the regime, many demonstrators took to the streets on Friday, raising slogans against the regime and Khamenei.
Yesterday, after Friday prayers, the people of Zahedan took to the streets and organized protest gatherings in this city.
The Friday preacher of the Sunnis in Zahedan, Abdul Hamid Ismail Zahi, had called for a popular referendum under the auspices of the United Nations. He criticized the executions and forced confessions that are extracted from detainees.
Protests in Sistan-Baluchestan
Citizens in the cities of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, including Sarawan, Zahedan, and Khash, organized protest rallies yesterday after completing Friday prayers.
The protesters in Zahedan raised the slogans “Death to the Revolutionary Guards,” “Death to Khamenei,” “From Zahedan to Tehran, my soul is sacrificed for Iran,” and “I will kill whoever killed my brother.”
Khash City
Iranian security forces in Khash opened fire on the protesters after they gathered in front of the city’s mayor’s building, according to reports.
Several protesters in Khash assembled in front of the hospital after some people were injured in a shooting by security forces.
Video clips from the massive protests in the city of Khash documented heavy shooting by security forces toward demonstrators on the city’s streets.
Iranian journalists say they have received death threats
In this context, the American “ABC News” network, today, Saturday, quoted Iranian journalists as saying that they had received death threats from their country’s authorities because of their coverage of the recent protests.
The journalists, whose names were not revealed by the network, added that they fear that their sources will be put at risk. This is because the Iranian authorities track their online activities.
Late last month, Reporters Without Borders condemned the Iranian government’s attempts to silence foreign media. This was after imposing sanctions on a number of them from countries such as France, Germany and Britain.
The organization added that Iran has become the third largest country in terms of the number of detained journalists in the world. It noted that Tehran is holding 43 of them in its prisons.
