SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Iran death toll rises as protests intensify

Iranian officials claimed three people, including a member of the security forces, were slain during the country’s turmoil on Wednesday, as outrage over the death of a woman in police custody fueled protests for a fifth day.

According to rights groups, at least one more person was slain on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to at least seven.

The murder last week of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was held by morality police in Tehran for “unsuitable dress,” sparked simmering outrage about topics such as liberties in the Islamic Republic and an economy struggling from sanctions.

After beginning on Saturday at Amini’s funeral in Iran’s Kurdistan province, protests have engulfed much of the country, prompting confrontations as security forces have sought to suppress them.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not mention the protests – some of Iran’s worst unrest since street clashes last year over water shortages – during a speech on Wednesday commemorating the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

This week, a top Khamenei adviser expressed condolences to Amini’s family, vowing to look into the situation and claiming the Supreme Leader was shocked and hurt by her loss.

According to the official IRNA news agency, a “police assistant” died of injuries in the southern city of Shiraz on Tuesday.

“Some people fought with police officers, and one of the cops was killed as a consequence. Four more police officers were hurt in this event “According to IRNA. According to an official published by IRNA, 15 demonstrators were arrested in Shiraz.

    Source:
  • Reuters