Twelve killed as anti-government protests spread in Iran
Ten more people have been killed in Iran amid anti-government protests that broke out last Thursday and drew in tens of thousands of demonstrators, according to Iranian State television. The latest fatalities bring the death toll to 12.
“In the events of last night, unfortunately a total of about 10 people were killed in several cities,” the programme said, while showing footage of damage from anti-government demonstrations.
Officials said one police officer had been shot dead during the protests, and three more had been wounded. It was not immediately clear if the officer’s death was counted in the toll.
“A rioter took advantage of the situation in the city of Najaf Abad and fired shots at Police forces with a hunting rifle. As a result, three were wounded, and one was martyred,” Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi was quoted as saying by Iranian state television. Two people were killed in the south-western town of Izeh and several others injured, ILNA news agency reported.
“I do not know whether yesterday’s shooting was done by rally participants or the police and this issue is being investigated,” local parliament member Hedayatollah Khademi said.
Activists say riot Police shot and killed two protesters in the town of Dorud on Saturday night and arrested hundreds more, but government authorities denied involvement in the deaths. Messages on social media urged Iranians to continue rallies in the capital Tehran and 50 other urban centres, many of which have already seen four days of unrest. Iran is a major OPEC oil producer and regional power but frustrations have grown at home with the country deeply involved in Syria and Iraq as part of a battle for influence with rival Saudi Arabia.
Those interventions are also fuelling anger in the Islamic republic.
Iranians want their leaders to create jobs instead of engaging in costly proxy wars. The unrest erupted in the second largest city, Mashhad, against price rises but it swiftly spread and turned into political rallies.