Iranian police warn they will oppose protests ‘to the end’
Tehran, Sep 28 (EFE).- Iran’s police force said Wednesday that it would continue to oppose protests over the death of Mahsa Amini and “firmly” punish demonstrators who have disrupted public order.
“Policemen will oppose the conspiracies of enemies to the end and we will deal firmly with those who disturb public order,” the policy force said in a statement.
“Enemies of the holy Islamic Republic of Iran and troublemakers seek to disrupt the order and security of the Islamic nation for any excuse,” it added.
The death of Amini — a 22 year-old Kurdish woman who was detained by the morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly and died whilst under arrest — has sparked protests across the country that have left dozens of people dead and at least 1,200 detained.
Riot police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the armed forces, have attempted to contain the protests using batons, tear gas, water cannons as well as live ammunition, according to the United Nations.
Authorities have also curbed Internet access and detained journalists and activists in an effort to silence the protests.
Among those detained is Iranian women’s rights activist Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanyani, daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanyani, a key figure in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hashemi was arrested Tuesday evening for allegedly “inciting” the protests.
The government’s near total control of media in the country means journalists are struggling to get an accurate picture of the situation on the ground.
Iranian authorities do not report on the number of deaths, but Iranian state television stated that the death toll stands at 41.
According to the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights, at least 76 people have died.
Iranian authorities insist that the protests are being incited by a foreign enemy with the help of intelligence agencies and have accused European and United States authorities of using the protests to destabilize the middle eastern power. EFE
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