Iranians use hearth competition to revive anti-government protests
The Washington Post couldn’t independently confirm the authenticity of the movies, which confirmed protests in Tehran, Rasht, Karaj, Gorgan, Arak and several other cities within the Kurdish area of western Iran.
One video confirmed a handful of girls burning their scarves on a bonfire in Tehran, whereas one other confirmed individuals throwing fireworks at a bunch of safety forces on bikes. In a separate video, a bunch additionally within the capital is burning an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, chanting, “freedom, freedom, freedom.”
Iran’s theocratic authorities has discouraged the celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri for years due to its pre-Islamic roots and likewise as a result of it provides individuals a chance to collect and criticize the federal government in public.
This yr, the Chaharshanbe Suri protests have explicit significance because the Islamic Republic has for months confronted certainly one of its biggest challenges because it got here to energy in 1979.
There had been a relative lull in protests previously couple of months after a harsh crackdown which led to the loss of life of greater than 500 individuals and the arrest of practically 20,000 as of late February, based on the activist information company HRANA.
Four protesters had been executed for allegedly collaborating in assaults towards safety forces.
“People are very eager to protest again yet they don’t want to do it on their own,” mentioned Hadi Ghaemi, government director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “These occasions definitely provide a collective signal that this is a moment where people won’t be alone if they’re protesting.”
The demonstrations began final September after Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly sporting clothes that violated the nation’s strict legal guidelines on conservative gown required for ladies in public. She later died in police custody.
A video posted on-line Tuesday confirmed individuals chanting “Death to Khamenei” in Saqqez, Amini’s hometown.
Last week, protests broke out in a number of cities due to outrage over the suspected gasoline poisoning of hundreds of faculty women in latest months. The suspected poisonings began within the holy metropolis of Qom three months in the past however have since unfold to greater than 20 provinces, based on CHRI.
The authorities has introduced a handful of arrests associated to the assaults with out figuring out a selected group that could be accountable. Activists and protesters say solely the authorities or a bunch backed by authorities might have carried out organized operations on such a scale.