Supreme leader describes Iran protests over Amini death as ‘small riots’
Tehran, Oct 12 (EFE).- The nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody were “small riots” sparked by foreign “enemies”, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday.
“These small riots have been poorly engineered by the enemy because of the great and innovative development of the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said in a meeting with members of the Expediency Discernment Council, which mediates between branches of the state.
“The only solution is to stand firm,” the religious leader added.
Amini’s death on September 16 has sparked a series of violent protests in cities across Iran in which at least 201 have been killed, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights.
Amini died while in police custody after being arrested by the so-called morality police for not wearing her veil correctly according to Iran’s strict religious laws.
“The onslaught of propaganda, influencing the way people think, provoking excitement and teaching how to make Molotov cocktails, (…) are clear examples of what the enemy is doing,” Khamenei said.
Meanwhile, a group of lawyers held a small demonstration in Tehran Wednesday in which at least four lawyers were detained.
Iranian authorities have detained thousands of protesters as well as at least 90 activists and public figures who have supported the demonstrations, according to the United Nations.
The country’s youth are leading the protests under the slogan Women, Life, Freedom.
The protests have taken the form of large-scale mobilizations and women burning their veils to smaller, more sporadic demonstrations across the country. EFE
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