Death toll rises to 17 due to protests in Iran over the death of a woman detained for wearing the veil incorrectly

An NGO raises the number of protesters killed by the repression of the mobilizations to more than 30

22 (EUROPE PRESS)

The death toll in the framework of the protests registered in recent days in Iran after the death of a woman after being arrested for wearing the veil incorrectly, has risen to 17, as reported by local media.

According to information collected by the Iranian television network Al Alam, among the dead are three members of the Basij paramilitary force who have been stabbed or shot by unidentified assailants during the last hours in disturbances in Mashhad, Qazvin and Tabriz.

However, the non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) has assured that at least 31 civilians have died in the framework of the protests and has denounced cuts in the Internet service. “Nationwide protests by the Iranian people continue to protest the assassination of Mahsa Amini. At least 31 civilians have been killed so far,” he said.

Thus, IHR has pointed in a series of messages published through its official account on the social network Twitter to the existence of “information on mass arrests of protesters and civil activists” and has asked the international community to “react” and “Avoid mass murder of Iranian population”.

The director of the NGO, Mahmud Amiri Moqadam, has affirmed that the population “has taken to the streets to ask for fundamental rights and dignity, something that has been denied them by the leaders of Iran for more than four decades” and has lamented that “the government responds with bullets to their peaceful protests”.

“Condemnations and expressions of concern by the international community are no longer enough. The world community and people who respect human rights must support the demands of the Iranian people,” he stressed.

The mobilizations have had their epicenter in the Kurdish-majority areas of the northwest of the country, although they have spread to numerous cities, including the capital, Tehran. Likewise, the authorities have denounced the presence of agitators to carry out acts of violence in the midst of the protests.

Amini, 22, a member of the Iranian Kurdish minority, was arrested on September 13 in Tehran for improperly dressing and died three days after falling into a coma after fainting in a detention center, amid allegations of torture and bad treatments.

The Tehran Police came out of the controversy on Monday and assured that Amini’s death was an “unfortunate incident”, while the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, spoke on Sunday by phone with the family and promised a thorough investigation to clarify the happened.