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Protests in Iran do not cease; Police increase pressure on Kurds

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Student protests, workers’ strikes, protests in Kurdish cities: the protest movement continued in various parts of Iran this Monday (10), despite harsh repression of civilians since mid-September. Once again, the police staged scenes of violence against the Kurdish population, a minority from which young Mahsa Amini came from.

According to footage shared by the NGO Human Rights Watch, protests were held by university students from Gilan in the north of the country this Monday. In the same district, students at the girls’ school in Mahabad marched without wearing a headscarf to take a stand against the government. In Tehran, the crowd gathered in front of the Polytechnic University, condemning the “poverty and corruption” in the country and chanting slogans such as “death to dictatorship”.

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The movement also received support from the industrial sector. Videos shared on social media show workers burning tires in front of the Asalouyeh petrochemical plant in the southeast of the country. Other strikes were recorded in Abadan (west) and Kengan (south).

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Mobilization continues in Kurdish towns where Iranian security forces have stepped up the pressure. Human rights group Hengaw noted that large numbers of armed police were present in Iran’s main Kurdish city of Sanandaj and elsewhere in the country’s northwest, such as Saqez and Divandareh.

Videos posted on social media showed demonstrations and violent clashes between police and civilians in Kurdish towns in the Sanandaj region, where young Mahsa Amini originally came from. In the images, you can hear gunshots and explosions in a neighborhood of the city.

According to Iranian officials, the Kurdish population is getting involved in “riots” as the government calls the protests. According to Hengaw, at least five Iranians of Kurdish origin have been killed and more than 150 injured in protests since last Saturday (8).

At least 95 dead

Iran has been rocked by anti-government demonstrations since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16. She was arrested by the morality police, which oversees the country’s strict dress code, for not wearing the Islamic headscarf correctly. Accessory is compulsory for women in Iran.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 95 people have died since the mobilization began. The Iranian government also states that at least 18 members of its security forces have died in clashes with civilians.

The riot intensified over the weekend after officials said Mahsa Amini died of a brain disease, not after the blows he received while in detention, as the militants had condemned. The girl’s father, Amjad Amini, denied the official findings, saying her daughter was in good health before her arrest.

Faced with pressure, the United Kingdom announced on Monday sanctions against members of the Iranian morality police and the regime. The measures are in addition to those already announced by the United States and Canada. There is talk of the possibility in the European Union as well, and it will be discussed at a meeting of the foreign ministers of 27 member states next October 17th.

(With information from AFP)

10/10/2022 14:38updated on 10/10/2022 15:18

source: Noticias

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