Global protests in support of Iranian women

108
3
Global protests in support of Iranian women

Global protests are being held in solidarity with the growing uprising in Iran demanding greater freedom and protesting against the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by Iranian morality police.

Demonstrations under the slogan Women, Life, Liberty are taking place in many major cities, including Rome, Zurich, Paris, London, Seoul, Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Stockholm and New York.

Efforts were also under way inside Iran on Saturday to start a national strike, mainly in the country s Kurdish cities, as well as the non-payment of taxes to the government.

Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died on 16 September, three days after her arrest for allegedly breaching Iran's strict rules for women on hijab headscarves and modest clothing.

After probably the single most violent incident of the protests, security officials claimed that security had been restored in the city of Zahedan, in eastern Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province, where the police had fired on civilians during Friday prayers.

As many as 40 people have been reported dead after stories that a policeman raped a woman.

Local hospitals were inundated with wounded people and a police station was torched in rioting that continued overnight.

Official Iranian government sources confirmed that the commander of the local intelligence unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary GuardCorps IRGC was killed.

Videos on social media showed burnt out fire engines, bus stations and banks. The police were firing into crowds at prayer, but the protesters said the riots, including shots from the crowd, were orchestrated by terrorist groups.

What will concern the government if the disparate and apparently leaderless protests reveal a cultural chasm inside Iran and cause a nationwide movement across classes with specific goals.

The Iranian state, however, has infinite tools for repression of dissent, complete control of the media, including TV, and a track record of being able to suppress protest at the cost of much human life.

On Friday, the intelligence services issued a lengthy statement blaming the protest on foreign agents and terrorists. They highlighted 85 ambulances had been attacked, and hardline MPs continued to denounce the protesters.

Student groups claimed that more than 110 universities, faculties and educational centres went on a strike and held a student sit-in in protest against the suppression of street protests after the loss of life.

There were protests on social media across the country. More than 100 university professors signed a statement demanding the release from detention of their students, saying that everyone should appreciate the existence of students who are ready to sacrifice themselves and pay the price to defend freedom, justice and human dignity. Earlier in the day, the Cooperation Center of the Iranian Kurdistan s Political Parties had called for a nationwide strike, urging support for young Iranians who demand the freedom and oppression of women in Iran.

The strike call was honoured in large parts of Kurdistan, with reports of police shootings in some major cities, such as Dehgolan close to the border with Iraq.

There were protests at the strategic port of Bandar Abbas in the south.

From house arrest, the reformist politician and former Iranian prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi sent a message urging the security forces to side with the people. He said: Armed forces! The powers vested in you are for defence of the people, not for repression, for protection of the oppressed, not for service to the powerful and mighty. The hope is that you will stand on the side of truth and the nation. It is your duty to secure the peace for millions and especially the downtrodden, and not to consolidate the power of oblivious officials.