Iran's Revolutionary Guards issue warning as protests over woman's death spread

Authored by reuters.com and submitted by omega3111
image for Iran's Revolutionary Guards issue warning as protests over woman's death spread

Women hold a picture of Mahsa Amini during a sit-in following her death, at Martyrs' Square in Beirut, Lebanon September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Summary Revolutionary Guards issue warning over unrest

Reports of security forces coming under attack

Kurdish woman died after detention by morality police

Iranian government has pledged inquiry into her death

DUBAI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards called on the judiciary on Thursday to prosecute "those who spread false news and rumours", in an apparent bid to take the steam out of nationwide protests over the death of a young woman in police custody.

The warning was a clear indication that the elite force is prepared to step up its crackdown on demonstrations.

Protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles earlier on Thursday as public outrage over the death showed no signs of abating, with reports of security forces coming under attack.

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Mahsa Amini, 22, died last week after being arrested in Tehran for wearing "unsuitable attire". She fell into a coma while in detention. The authorities have said they would launch an investigation into the cause of her death.

In a statement, the Guards expressed sympathy with the family and relatives of Amini.

"We have requested the judiciary to identify those who spread false news and rumours on social media as well as on the street and who endanger the psychological safety of society and to deal with them decisively," the Guards, who have cracked down on protests in the past, said.

Women have played a prominent role in the protests, waving and burning their veils, with some cutting their hair in public.

Pro-government protests are planned for Friday and some marchers have already taken to the streets, Iranian media said.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has ordered speedy action in the case of the rioters to "maintain the security and peace of the citizens", Tasnim news reported.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran's morality police, accusing them of abuse and violence against Iranian women and of violating the rights of peaceful Iranian protesters, the U.S. Treasury said.

The protests over Amini's death are the biggest in the Islamic Republic since 2019. Most have been concentrated in Iran's Kurdish-populated northwest but have spread to the capital and at least 50 cities and towns nationwide, with police using force to disperse protesters. Amini was from the province of Kurdistan.

A new mobile internet disruption was registered in the country, internet monitoring group Netblocks wrote on Twitter, in a possible sign that the authorities fear the protests will intensify.

On Twitter, WhatsApp said it is working to keep Iranian users connected, adding that it is not blocking Iranian numbers.

A member of an Iranian pro-government paramilitary organisation, the Basij, was stabbed to death in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday, two semi-official Iranian news agencies reported on Thursday.

There was no official confirmation of the death.

Tasnim also said another member of the Basij was killed on Wednesday in the city of Qazvin from a gunshot wound inflicted by "rioters and gangs".

Nour news, a media outlet affiliated with a top security body, shared a video of an army officer confirming the death of a soldier in the unrest, bringing the total reported number of security force members killed in the unrest to five.

An official from Mazandaran said 76 members of the security forces were injured in the province during the unrest while the police commander of Kurdistan said more than 100 security forces were wounded.

In the northeast, protesters shouted "We will die, we will die but we'll get Iran back" near a police station which was set on fire, a video posted on Twitter account 1500tasvir showed. The account focuses on protests in Iran and has around 100,000 followers.

Reuters could not verify the footage.

Amini's death has reignited anger over issues including restrictions on personal freedoms in Iran - including strict dress codes for women - and an economy reeling from sanctions.

Iran's clerical rulers fear a revival of the 2019 protests that erupted over gasoline price rises, the bloodiest in the Islamic Republic's history. Reuters reported 1,500 were killed.

Protesters this week also expressed anger at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "Mojtaba, may you die and not become Supreme Leader," a crowd was seen chanting in Tehran, referring to Khamenei's son, who some believe could succeed his father at the top of Iran's political establishment.

Reuters could not verify the video.

Reports by Kurdish rights group Hengaw, which Reuters could not verify, said the death toll in Kurdish areas had climbed to 15 and the number of injured rose to 733. Iranian officials have denied that security forces have killed protesters, suggesting they may have been shot by armed dissidents.

In northern Iran, crowds armed with batons and rocks attacked two members of the security forces on a motorbike as a crowd cheered, according to footage which Reuters was unable to verify.

Reporting by Dubai bureau; Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington: Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Raissa Kasolowsky and Hugh Lawson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

OrangeFlavoredPenis on September 22nd, 2022 at 12:58 UTC »

This is barely being covered being massively undercovered they are shooting the protesters dead in the streets and have cut the internet off.

Its a total nightmare but the people are rising up against the murdering authorities and women are finally getting a chance to have freedom that we take for granted around the western world.

Check this hashtag (the name of the woman taken by the "morality police" and beaten to death with batons in their care) for some interesting videos that have managed to get out.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C?src=hashtag_click&f=video

Expect more chaos in the coming days, good for you Iran.

Some tweets easy to watch / read here. Some NSFW content in a few of them

https://twitter.com/GLNoronha/status/1572614341593075717

https://twitter.com/daria_shamim/status/1572951240526512128

https://twitter.com/singlevoice00/status/1572952658125668356

https://twitter.com/morphine5836829/status/1572929519174156289

https://twitter.com/farnazfun/status/1572960208481034242

https://twitter.com/pouya_memari/status/1572946811861536770

https://twitter.com/ksadjadpour/status/1572912267825676288

https://twitter.com/darvishpir/status/1572880501857288194

https://twitter.com/Mohammadtahare4/status/1572876803475406849

https://twitter.com/ksadjadpour/status/1572370083032317952

https://twitter.com/janousss/status/1572954220097306625

https://twitter.com/Hamraz_96/status/1572906363507933184

https://twitter.com/_hmid_reza_/status/1572833388331167744

https://twitter.com/Artemis_part/status/1572851219151917058

https://twitter.com/iamzamangul/status/1572805490177966080

cup_1337 on September 22nd, 2022 at 11:52 UTC »

Iran has shut down their internet to stopthe spread of videos/documentation of oppression and brutality against its citizens.

1500tasvir on IG is still up! It’s an account documenting everything first hand and one of our only insights to what’s going on over there currently.

autotldr on September 22nd, 2022 at 09:00 UTC »

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 79%. (I'm a bot)

DUBAI, Sept 22 - Protesters in Tehran and several other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles on Thursday as unrest triggered by the death of a woman detained by the Islamic Republic's morality police intensified for a sixth day.

In the northeast, protesters shouted "We will die, we will die but we'll get Iran back" near a police station which was set on fire, a video showed that was posted on a Twitter account 1500tasvir, which focuses on Iran protests and has around 100,000 followers.

Another police station was set ablaze in the capital Tehran as the unrest spread from Kurdistan, the home province of Amini.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: protests#1 Iran#2 police#3 death#4 Tehran#5