PARIS —
Iran’s judiciary chief vowed no leniency Sunday
against the wave of unrest that has rocked the country since the death of young
Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.
اضافة اعلان
The warning from Gholamhossein
Mohseni Ejei came
after nine nights of protests and street clashes, and it echoed earlier
comments by Iran’s ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi.
At least 41 people have died so far, mostly
protesters but including members of the Islamic republic’s security forces,
according to an official toll, although human rights groups say the real figure
is higher.
The judiciary chief “emphasized the need for
decisive action without leniency” against the core instigators of the “riots”,
the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.
Hundreds of demonstrators, reformist activists and
journalists have been arrested amid the mostly night-time demonstrations that
have spread to scores of cities since unrest first broke out after Amini’s
death on September 16.
Security forces have fired live rounds and bird
shots, rights groups charge, while protesters have hurled rocks, torched police
cars, set ablaze state buildings, and shouted “death to the dictator”.
Iran’s largest protests in almost three years have
been led by women, triggered by anger over the
Islamic republic’s strictly
enforced gender-based dress code.
Amini, whose Kurdish first name was Jhina, was
arrested on September 13 for allegedly breaching the rules that mandate
tightly-fitted hijab head coverings and which ban, among other things, ripped
jeans and brightly colored clothes.
Some Iranian women protesters have since removed and
burnt their hijabs in the rallies and cut off their hair, some dancing near
large bonfires to the applause of crowds that have chanted “zan, zendegi,
azadi” or “woman, life, freedom”.
Web monitor NetBlocks reported that Mobinnet, one of
Iran’s largest network operators, saw a “nation-scale disruption”, with
WhatsApp, Instagram, and Skype having already been blocked.
This followed older bans on Facebook, Twitter,
TikTok, and Telegram.
Protests abroad have been held in solidarity with
Iranian women in Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Istanbul, Madrid, New York and
Paris, among other cities.
‘Foreign plots’
Iran — which is ruled by
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 83, and which has been hit with tough
economic sanctions over its nuclear program — has blamed “foreign plots” for
the unrest.
The foreign ministry said Sunday it had summoned
Britain’s ambassador over what it described as an “invitation to riots” by
Farsi-speaking media based in London, and Norway’s envoy over “unconstructive
comments” made by his country’s parliament speaker.
Foreign ministry spokesman
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized “the US interventionist approach in the affairs of Iran ...
including its provocative actions in supporting the rioters”.
Iran has also organized large rallies in defense of
the hijab and conservative values.
Pro-government rallies were held Sunday, with the
main event taking place in Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran,
where demonstrators voiced support for mandatory hijab laws.
“Martyrs died so that this hijab will be on our
head,” said demonstrator Nafiseh, 28, adding that she was opposed to making the
wearing of the hijab voluntary.
Another demonstrator, 21-year-old student Atyieh,
called for “strong action against the people who are leading” the protests.
The main reformist group inside Iran, the Union of
Islamic Iran People’s Party, however, has called for the repeal of the
mandatory dress code.
Human rights groups based abroad have sought to
shine light on the turmoil rocking Iran, citing their own sources in the
country.
Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights has put the death
toll at 54, excluding security personnel.
Iranian authorities have yet to state the cause of
death of Amini, who activists say died as a result of a blow to the head.
Interior Minister
Ahmad Vahidi has said Amini was not beaten
and that “we must wait for the final opinion of the medical examiner”.
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