Iran protests over girl’s dying persist regardless of crackdown By Reuters

DUBAI (Reuters) -Clashes between protesters and safety forces endured throughout Iran on Tuesday, with social media movies displaying tanks being transported to Kurdish areas, which have been a focus of the crackdown on protests over Mahsa Amini’s dying in custody.

Protests calling for the autumn of the clerical institution have swept Iran since Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish girl, died on Sept. 16 whereas being detained by the morality police in Tehran for “inappropriate apparel”.

Whereas observers don’t imagine the unrest, now in its fourth week, is near toppling the federal government, the protests mark one of many boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic for the reason that 1979 revolution, with reviews of strikes spreading to the very important power sector.

The authorities are waging a lethal crackdown. Movies on social media confirmed vehicles transferring darkish inexperienced tanks to Kurdish areas, elevating the stakes within the revolt. Reuters couldn’t confirm the video footage.

Tensions have been particularly excessive in Kurdish areas, given Amini’s ethnic background. Human rights teams say Iran’s Kurdish minority of greater than 10 million has lengthy been oppressed – a cost the Islamic Republic denies.

The Hengaw human rights group reported “intense battle” on Tuesday between protesters and safety forces in three cities in Kurdistan province – Sanandaj, Baneh and Saqez, the place Amini was buried final month.

Protesters in Saqez set hearth to a statue of native members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hengaw stated.

In video footage shared on the extensively adopted Twitter account group Tavsir1500 from Sanandaj, taking pictures could possibly be heard and ladies screaming. Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the footage from Hengaw or Tasvir1500.

A minimum of 185 folks, together with 19 minors, have been killed, a whole bunch injured and 1000’s have been arrested by the safety forces, in keeping with rights teams. The federal government says greater than 20 members of the safety forces have been killed.

Iranian authorities have stated they’ll examine civilian deaths.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Community stated safety forces had killed at the very least 30 protesters, injured one other 825, and arrested greater than 2,000 within the predominantly Kurdish areas.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the report.

The Iranian authorities have blamed the violence on an array of enemies together with armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents, with the Revolutionary Guards attacking their bases in neighbouring Iraq a variety of occasions in the course of the newest unrest.

Inside Minister Ahmad Vahidi reiterated accusations that Iranian Kurdish dissident teams had been supporting the protests and stated safety forces would “neutralize the determined anti-revolutionary effort”.

ENERGY SECTOR

Unrest continued elsewhere in a single day after demonstrations unfold into Iran’s very important power sector, in keeping with movies on social media which Reuters couldn’t verify.

Power installations in southwestern Iran had been hit by strikes for a second day on Tuesday, with staff protesting on the Abadan oil refinery, Kangan and the Bushehr petrochemical plant, in keeping with the extensively adopted Tavsir1500 Twitter account.

Movies posted on the account confirmed a number of dozen staff chanting “Dying to the dictator”, referring to Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A regional official stated on Tuesday the employees on the Assaluye plant had been angered by a dispute over wages and weren’t protesting over Amini’s dying.

Governor Ali Hashemi stated some Iranians had tried to hijack the employees’ protests by chanting anti-government slogans, in keeping with Iran’s Younger Journalists Membership Information Telegram account.

It was a mix of mass protests and strikes by oil staff and bazaar retailers that helped to propel the Shi’ite clergy to energy within the Iranian revolution 4 many years in the past.

Dozens of universities are additionally presently on strike, with college students taking part in a pivotal position within the protests.

In the meantime, within the metropolis of Fuladshahr within the central province of Isfahan, protesters set hearth to the workplace of a prayer chief, in keeping with a video posted by Tavsir1500.

The authorities’ crackdown on protesters has prompted some Western states to attract up extra sanctions on Iran, stoking diplomatic tensions at a time when talks to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear take care of world powers are at a standstill.

France’s overseas minister stated on Tuesday 5 of its nationals had been being held in Iran and the European Union had agreed the technical points to impose sanctions on Tehran, which might come into pressure subsequent week.

France lashed out at Iran on Oct. 6 accusing it of “dictatorial practices” and taking its residents hostage after a video was aired wherein a French couple appeared to admit to spying.