By REUTERS -
Two people died on Tuesday following protests in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, the city's prosecutor was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the semi-official Fars news agency.
(OFFICIAL KHAMENEI WEBSITE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
"Unfortunately, two people were murdered in yesterday's riots in Kermanshah. We are certain this was done by anti-revolutionary elements because the victims were killed by weapons not used by the security apparatus," Shahram Karami said.
The prosecutor added 25 people, including protesters, security forces and bystanders, were injured during the protests.
Related video: People killed in violent Iran protestsDuration 1:04 View on Watch
Fifteen protesters were arrested in Shiraz on Tuesday, according to an official quoted by IRNA.
Internet may be disrupted in Iran for 'security reasons'
Access to the internet in Iran may be disrupted due to "security reasons", the minister of communications was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the semi-official ISNA news agency, amid widespread protests following the death of a young woman in police custody.
"Due to security issues and the debates going on currently in the country, restrictions to the internet may be decided and applied by the security apparatus, but overall we have not had any bandwidth reduction," Issa Zarepour said.
Police officer dies in protests over death of woman arrested for improperly wearing veil
Authorities in Iran on Wednesday denounced the death of a policeman in the context of protests in recent days in the country over the death of a woman after she was arrested for improperly wearing the veil.
Archive - Police in Iran - ROUZBEH FOULADI / ZUMA PRESS / CONTACTOPHOTO
The governor of Shiraz, Lorfollah Shibani, said that the officer died in an incident on Tuesday and added that four other officers were also injured, while 15 people were arrested, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
As part of the demonstrations, an officer was injured in the city of Mashhad (northeast) after attackers set him on fire, although other demonstrators came to his rescue with a fire extinguisher, as reported by the Tasnim news agency.
The protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini have so far resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries, according to authorities. The demonstrations have had their epicenter in the Kurdish-majority areas of the northwest of the country, although they have spread to numerous cities, including the capital, Tehran.
Amini, 22, a member of Iran's Kurdish minority, was arrested on September 13 in Tehran for improper dress and died three days later after falling into a coma after fainting in a detention center amid allegations of torture and ill-treatment.
The Tehran Police on Monday came out in the wake of the controversy and assured that Amini's death was an "unfortunate incident", while Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke to the family by phone on Sunday and promised a thorough investigation to shed light on what happened.
Authorities in Iran on Wednesday denounced the death of a policeman in the context of protests in recent days in the country over the death of a woman after she was arrested for improperly wearing the veil.
Archive - Police in Iran - ROUZBEH FOULADI / ZUMA PRESS / CONTACTOPHOTO
The governor of Shiraz, Lorfollah Shibani, said that the officer died in an incident on Tuesday and added that four other officers were also injured, while 15 people were arrested, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
As part of the demonstrations, an officer was injured in the city of Mashhad (northeast) after attackers set him on fire, although other demonstrators came to his rescue with a fire extinguisher, as reported by the Tasnim news agency.
The protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini have so far resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries, according to authorities. The demonstrations have had their epicenter in the Kurdish-majority areas of the northwest of the country, although they have spread to numerous cities, including the capital, Tehran.
Amini, 22, a member of Iran's Kurdish minority, was arrested on September 13 in Tehran for improper dress and died three days later after falling into a coma after fainting in a detention center amid allegations of torture and ill-treatment.
The Tehran Police on Monday came out in the wake of the controversy and assured that Amini's death was an "unfortunate incident", while Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke to the family by phone on Sunday and promised a thorough investigation to shed light on what happened.
What is different about the most recent protests in Iran? - analysis
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN - TODAY - The Jerusalem Post
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic
The protests began in the Kurdistan region of Iran where minority Kurds have faced oppression for decades. This gives the protests two overlapping causes; the suppression of women and the suppression of minorities. The protests reveal the degree to which people despise the regime and are willing to take to the streets to show their anger. A number of videos posted online reveal the depth of this anger.
In one video, young men confront police on the streets and women are heard cheering them on from balconies. In another crowds chant “death to the dictator.” On Keshavarz boulevard in Tehran, a man says that many of the intersections in the city are full of demonstrators. He also shouts pro-Kurdish slogans. For Kurds, the two issues are entwined. A strike in the Kurdish region and videos of security forces shooting and beating people have shown the degree to which the regime faces major challenges controlling parts of the country.
Nevertheless, the regime will likely put down the protests as it has in the past. But the brief freedom people have enjoyed in the streets, particularly at night, is a freedom they won’t forget. Images and videos posted online have shown women dancing and in one widely shared video, a woman is seen cutting her hair as men cheer. These are attempts to carve out temporary freedom in the streets usually controlled by the regime. This is a regime that sentences women to prison and beatings for not covering their hair or for dancing. The things that westerners take for granted are revolutionary acts in Iran.
On what other issues do Iranians go out and protest?
Over the last decade, Iranians have taken to the streets to confront the state over a variety of issues, from elections to the economy, to police brutality and suppression of minorities. When one adds up the long list of issues it is clear that the regime has only a tenuous grip on the country. At every corner, it is confronted by the fact that large numbers of people dislike the leadership and only brute force and time keep the regime in control.
The regime generally benefits from the fact that other authoritarian countries are on its side and don’t want to see their own rulers challenged; and the fact that there isn’t much outside support for Iranians.
For instance, other countries in the Middle East are hesitant to support protests in Iran, fearing their own citizens might rise up. Iran has hijacked Iraqi politics; is an ally of Syria and has Hezbollah loyalists in Lebanon. The Gulf countries don’t want to see chaos in Iran spill over. This means that the people of Iran are largely alone. They have received some recognition abroad, in the US and Europe; but even there they face an uphill struggle because the Iranian regime is attending the UN, while the people rise up.
The key question facing the protesters is whether these demonstrations will grow outside of the Kurdish region and Tehran. For now, it is unclear if that is possible. On Tuesday night, more cities appeared to join the protests, but that may only be temporary.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN - TODAY - The Jerusalem Post
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic
© (photo credit: WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
Iran has seen protests in cities and towns over the past four days in the wake of the police killing of a young woman.
The protests began in western Iran in the Kurdistan region of the country but they have spread to Tehran, Mashhad and other cities in the last two nights. The protesters have generally been seen clashing with police and plainclothes security and also gathering in large numbers at night. In many cases, women have been at the forefront of the protests.
These protests are different from the large-scale protests in 2019, in which Iran’s security forces have been accused of killing around 1,500 people; and in 2009 when there were massive demonstrations across Iran.
The 2009 protests were a response to election fraud during the election of far-right Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In 2017, protests erupted driven by economic anger.
These protests are different this time because they were driven by anger over the regime’s treatment of women, particularly the police detaining and then killing a woman named Mahsa Amini.
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's ''morality police'', in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022.
Iran has seen protests in cities and towns over the past four days in the wake of the police killing of a young woman.
The protests began in western Iran in the Kurdistan region of the country but they have spread to Tehran, Mashhad and other cities in the last two nights. The protesters have generally been seen clashing with police and plainclothes security and also gathering in large numbers at night. In many cases, women have been at the forefront of the protests.
These protests are different from the large-scale protests in 2019, in which Iran’s security forces have been accused of killing around 1,500 people; and in 2009 when there were massive demonstrations across Iran.
The 2009 protests were a response to election fraud during the election of far-right Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In 2017, protests erupted driven by economic anger.
These protests are different this time because they were driven by anger over the regime’s treatment of women, particularly the police detaining and then killing a woman named Mahsa Amini.
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's ''morality police'', in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022.
(credit: WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
KURDISTAN
Amini is a Kurdish woman and she was detained while on a trip to Tehran, accused by police of not covering her hair in the manner the theocratic regime desired. She was then beaten and fell into a coma and died last week. The regime has tried to calm crowds, claiming the death was an accident and that she died of heart failure or pre-existing conditions. But what caused her death was the police detention.
Amini is a Kurdish woman and she was detained while on a trip to Tehran, accused by police of not covering her hair in the manner the theocratic regime desired. She was then beaten and fell into a coma and died last week. The regime has tried to calm crowds, claiming the death was an accident and that she died of heart failure or pre-existing conditions. But what caused her death was the police detention.
The protests began in the Kurdistan region of Iran where minority Kurds have faced oppression for decades. This gives the protests two overlapping causes; the suppression of women and the suppression of minorities. The protests reveal the degree to which people despise the regime and are willing to take to the streets to show their anger. A number of videos posted online reveal the depth of this anger.
In one video, young men confront police on the streets and women are heard cheering them on from balconies. In another crowds chant “death to the dictator.” On Keshavarz boulevard in Tehran, a man says that many of the intersections in the city are full of demonstrators. He also shouts pro-Kurdish slogans. For Kurds, the two issues are entwined. A strike in the Kurdish region and videos of security forces shooting and beating people have shown the degree to which the regime faces major challenges controlling parts of the country.
Nevertheless, the regime will likely put down the protests as it has in the past. But the brief freedom people have enjoyed in the streets, particularly at night, is a freedom they won’t forget. Images and videos posted online have shown women dancing and in one widely shared video, a woman is seen cutting her hair as men cheer. These are attempts to carve out temporary freedom in the streets usually controlled by the regime. This is a regime that sentences women to prison and beatings for not covering their hair or for dancing. The things that westerners take for granted are revolutionary acts in Iran.
On what other issues do Iranians go out and protest?
Over the last decade, Iranians have taken to the streets to confront the state over a variety of issues, from elections to the economy, to police brutality and suppression of minorities. When one adds up the long list of issues it is clear that the regime has only a tenuous grip on the country. At every corner, it is confronted by the fact that large numbers of people dislike the leadership and only brute force and time keep the regime in control.
The regime generally benefits from the fact that other authoritarian countries are on its side and don’t want to see their own rulers challenged; and the fact that there isn’t much outside support for Iranians.
For instance, other countries in the Middle East are hesitant to support protests in Iran, fearing their own citizens might rise up. Iran has hijacked Iraqi politics; is an ally of Syria and has Hezbollah loyalists in Lebanon. The Gulf countries don’t want to see chaos in Iran spill over. This means that the people of Iran are largely alone. They have received some recognition abroad, in the US and Europe; but even there they face an uphill struggle because the Iranian regime is attending the UN, while the people rise up.
The key question facing the protesters is whether these demonstrations will grow outside of the Kurdish region and Tehran. For now, it is unclear if that is possible. On Tuesday night, more cities appeared to join the protests, but that may only be temporary.
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