Iran lawmakers chant “thank you, police” amid growing public fury over woman’s death

DUBAI, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Iranian lawmakers chanted “thanks, thanks, police” throughout a parliament session on Sunday, amid weeks of anti-government protests throughout Iran following the dying of a younger lady in police custody, Iranian state media reported.

The protests, sparked by the dying of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini from Iranian Kurdistan, have spiralled into the largest present of opposition to Iran’s authorities in years, with many calling for the top of greater than 4 a long time of Islamic clerical rule.

Pledging allegiance to the Islamic Republic’s high authority Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the lawmakers chanted: “The blood in our veins is a present to our chief”, a video shared on Iranian state media confirmed.

Khamenei has not commented on the protests, which started at Amini’s funeral on Sept. 17 and rapidly unfold to Iran’s 31 provinces, with all layers of society, together with ethnic and spiritual minorities, collaborating.

Regardless of the rising dying toll and a fierce crackdown by safety forces utilizing tear gasoline, golf equipment, and in some instances, stay ammunition, Iranians proceed to protest.

Movies on social media confirmed demonstrations in a number of cities similar to Kermanshah, Shiraz and Mashhad on Sunday, with members chanting “independence, freedom, dying to Khamenei”.

Activist Twitter account 1500tasvir, which has greater than 160,000 followers, posted a video of protesters within the central metropolis of Isfahan calling for a nationwide strike and organising a highway block to carry truck drivers to their ranks.

Reuters couldn’t confirm the movies.

Amini was arrested in Tehran for “unsuitable apparel” by the morality police who implement the Islamic Republic’s strict costume code and died in hospital after falling right into a coma.

Iran’s police authorities say Amini died of a coronary heart assault and deny claims by her household that she was crushed to dying in custody.

The nation’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi, who ordered an investigation into Amini’s dying, mentioned final week that forensics would current a report in “coming days”.

Amnesty Worldwide mentioned in an announcement on Friday that the federal government crackdown on demonstrations has up to now led to the dying of not less than 52 folks, with a whole bunch injured and hundreds arrested. Iranian authorities say many members of the safety forces have been killed by “rioters and thugs backed by international foes”.

Amini’s dying and the crackdown have drawn worldwide criticism of Iran’s rulers, which accuse america and a few European international locations of exploiting the unrest to attempt to destabilise the Islamic Republic.

Iran mentioned final week it had arrested 9 folks from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and different international locations for his or her function within the protests.

Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Modifying by Kirsten Donovan

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.