World stories

Iran state body reports 200 dead in protests, Raisi hails ‘freedoms’

[ad_1]

President Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday hailed Iran’s Islamic Republic as a guarantor of rights and freedoms, defending the ruling system amid a crackdown on anti-government protests that the United Nations says has cost more than 300 lives.

A top state security body meanwhile said that 200 people, including members of the security forces, had lost their lives in the unrest, a figure significantly lower than that given by the world body and rights groups.

Advertisements

The protests, in their third month, were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police enforcing strict mandatory hijab rules.

The demonstrations have turned into a popular revolt by furious Iranians from all layers of society, posing one of the boldest challenges to the leadership since the 1979 revolution.

Meanwhile, a social media video appeared to show authorities demolishing the family home of Elnaz Rekabi, a climber who competed in an international contest without a headscarf in October. Rekabi later had done so unintentionally, but she was widely assumed to have expressed support for the protests.

State media on Saturday quoted the head of the judiciary in northwestern Zanjan province as saying the ruling to demolish the villa had been issued four months ago as the family had failed to obtain a construction permit.

Advertisements

Unfazed by the brutal crackdown, protesters have raised slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and repeatedly demanded an end to the government.

The authorities blame the revolt on foreign enemies, including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

“Iran has the most progressive constitution in the world” because it marries “ideals with democracy,” Raisi said in a speech to parliamentarians, quoting an unidentified African lawyer he said he met several years ago.

Read Now  This is Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year

“The constitution guarantees the (existence) of the Islamic system,” he said, adding that it also “guarantees fundamental rights and legitimate freedoms.”

Advertisements

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency quoted the interior ministry’s state security council as saying 200 people lost their lives in the recent “riots”.

Amirali Hajizadeh, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying on Monday that 300 people, including security force members, had been killed in the recent unrest.

Javaid Rehman, a UN-appointed independent expert on Iran, said on Tuesday that more than 300 people had been killed in the protests, including more than 40 children.

Rights group HRANA said that as of Friday 469 protesters had been killed, including 64 minors. It said 61 government security forces had also been killed. As many as 18,210 protesters are believed to have been arrested.

A prominent Baluch, Molavi Abdolhamid, has called for an end to the repression of protests through arrests and killings, and a referendum on changing Iran’s government system.

“The people’s protest has shown that the policies of the last 43 years have reached a dead end,” he said in late November.

[ad_2]

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

World stories

South Sudan police say 5 killed in confrontation near bank

[ad_1] JUBA, South Sudan — Police say at least five people were...

World stories

US announces return of Iraqi artifacts taken from museum during 2003 invasion

[ad_1] Hunting down ISIS in Iraq Fighters from Ansar-al-Marjiiya Brigade, a Public...

World stories

Tennessee men, including suspected Jan. 6 rioter, charged with plotting attack on FBI Knoxville office

[ad_1] A suspected Capitol rioter facing charges for his alleged role in...

World stories

Joe Kennedy III expected to be named as special envoy to Northern Ireland | CNN Politics

[ad_1] CNN  —  President Joe Biden is expected to name former congressman...