Iran lawmakers demand severe punishment for ‘rioters’ as protests rage

DUBAI, Nov. 6 (Reuters) – Hardline Iranian lawmakers on Sunday urged the judiciary to deal “decisively” with perpetrators of unrest as the Islamic Republic struggles to suppress the largest demonstration of dissent in years.

In September, widespread anti-government demonstrations erupted after the death of young Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by vice squad for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed on women.

“We ask the judiciary to act decisively against the perpetrators of these crimes and with all those who assisted in the crimes and provoked rioters,” said 227 lawmakers from Iran’s 290-seat hardline-led parliament in a statement. statement, according to state media.

According to the activist news agency HRANA, 318 protesters were killed in the unrest on Saturday, including 49 minors. Thirty-eight members of the security forces were also killed, it added.

State media said last month that more than 46 security forces, including police, had been killed. Government officials have not provided an estimate of a greater number of deaths.

Iranian leaders have vowed tough action against protesters they have described as rioters, accusing enemies, including the United States, of fueling the unrest.

Demonstrations continued on Sunday in many cities, from Tehran to the central city of Yazd and the northern city of Rasht, according to rights groups and videos posted on social media.

A video on Twitter showed protesters in southern Tehran chanting “Clerics get lost” after nightfall.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the rights groups’ reports or the social media posts and images.

In the Kurdish city of Marivan, human rights group Hengaw said security forces opened fire on crowds gathered after the funeral of another woman, Nasrin Ghaderi, to protest her death.

Hengaw said Ghaderi died in a coma on Saturday after being severely beaten on the head by security forces during a demonstration in Tehran.

A prosecutor, quoted by state media, said Ghaderi had a pre-existing heart problem and died of “poisoning”, without going into further detail. There was no immediate official comment on the gunshot report.

Weeks after Amini’s death, a coroner denied that Amini had died as a result of blows to the head while in custody, as her parents claimed, and linked her death to past medical conditions.

Students from a dozen universities, including in the northern cities of Rasht and Amol, staged protests on Sunday as they chanted “death to dictator,” a reference to Iran’s highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the unverified videos posted on social media.

Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Andrew Heavens

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