Saturday, July 18, 2020

Iranian Protesters Return

Iranian security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators on Thursday. Iranian police  said they will deal "decisively" to prevent a revival of last November's anti-government protests in which hundreds of people were killed. Amnesty International said at least 304 people were killed and thousands more were wounded when authorities cracked down on the protesters. Last year's unrest began with protests over economic hardship but turned political, with demonstrators demanding top officials step down. The economy, already hard hit by US sanctions that have choked off its oil exports, has deteriorated further in recent months as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

On Tuesday, the death sentences of three men involved in that unrest had been upheld, sparking a surge in online protests.

The police chief for the city of Behbahan in southwest Iran, Colonel Mohammad Azizi, was quoted as confirming the police "firmly dispersed" the demonstrators, who were protesting economic hardships.

Videos posted on social media showed protesters chanting, "Fear not, fear not, we are in this together!",  shouting, "An Iranian will die, but will never accept humiliation," while  others called out slogans against top officials.

"People are angry. The economy is so bad that we cannot survive," an Iranian man told Reuters.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/iran-police-vow-deal-decisively-protests-200717140209490.html

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