PARIS —
Iran has deployed mounted police in
a bid to contain more than seven weeks of protests sparked by the death in
custody of Mahsa Amini, according to videos posted online.
اضافة اعلان
The clerical state has been rocked by a protest
movement that erupted when Amini, 22, died after her arrest for allegedly
breaking Iran’s strict hijab dress rules for women.
Young women have led the way, removing and burning
their head coverings, chanting anti-regime slogans, and confronting security
forces on the street despite a crackdown that has killed dozens.
In a rare move, the authorities have deployed a
posse of police on horseback in Tehran’s streets to stifle the demonstrations,
according to a video posted on social media and verified by AFP.
The special unit on patrol is seen standing in front
of a row of Iranian national flags on a major road in the northwestern
neighborhood of Sadeghiyeh.
Created in 2013, the mounted division of Iran’s police
force — known as Asvaran — is made up of Turkoman and Arabian horses, among
others.
The cavalry unit has been seen on the streets of the
Iranian capital in the past, mainly during parades, but it is uncommon to see
it deployed during protests.
Amini, an
Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on
September 16, three days after she was arrested in Tehran by the morality
police, igniting nationwide protests.
The Iranian authorities have adopted a range of
tactics in a bid to suppress the protests, which officials refer to as “riots”.
Security forces have fired directly on protesters
using live ammunition, bird shot, tear gas, and even paintballs.
The government has also imposed internet
restrictions, including blocking access to Instagram and WhatsApp, and have waged
a campaign of mass arrests.
Norway-based group
Iran Human Rights says the
security forces have killed at least 186 people in the crackdown on the Amini
protests.
At least another 118 people have lost their lives in
distinct protests since September 30 in Sistan-Baluchistan, a mainly Sunni
Muslim province on Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan.
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