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Iran after Mahsa Amini's death: Iranian women protest for twelfth consecutive night

2022-09-28T08:59:56.671Z


The protests in Iran have not abated since the death of a 22-year-old in police custody. The son of the last Shah believes that the regime will fall soon.


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In many places around the world, Iranian exiles are showing their support for women's struggles

Photo: Thibault Savary / Le Pictorium / IMAGO

After the death of a young woman in police custody, demonstrators took to the streets in several cities in Iran on Tuesday evening.

According to media reports, several women took off their headscarves in different cities.

A man is said to have set fire to a banner of Iran's supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Activists reported that an internet lockdown made it harder to distribute video footage.

The security forces in Iran are using violence against the protests.

According to activists, at least 76 people have been killed in the protests that have been going on for 12 days.

According to the Oslo-based non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights (IHR), six were women and four children.

According to the semi-official Fars news agency, authorities have said that “about 60 people have died” so far.

According to the official Irna news agency, the police reported ten dead officials.

It was unclear if these were among the 60 dead.

The authorities said on Monday that more than 1,200 people had been arrested.

Activists speak of far higher numbers.

Son of the last Shah sees coup in Iran coming

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Iranian shah, who was toppled in 1979, sees the ongoing mass protests against the government in Tehran as a sign of upheaval.

"In my opinion, it is the first revolution for women, by women," Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the USA, told the AFP news agency.

There is a "high probability" that the Islamic government in Tehran will not be in office much longer, and the West must prepare for this.

Pahlavi added that he had long said that a coup in Iran could happen "in a few weeks or a few months."

The world must "think of an alternative." He added: "We must consider the high probability that this regime will not exist much longer." Accordingly, a "controlled implosion" should take place, with a smooth, peaceful transition.

Pahlavi, who is respected by a large part of the Iranian exile community, stressed that he did not want the monarchy to return to Iran after the fall of the Islamic Republic.

Instead, Pahlavi spoke out in favor of a constituent assembly that should give Iran a new basic law.

"There can be no real democratic order without a clear definition and separation of church and state," said Pahlavi.

International criticism of the actions of the security forces

The actions taken by Iranian security forces against the protests have been harshly criticized internationally.

At a meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Iran to refrain from using "disproportionate force" against demonstrators.

At a meeting with Raisi on the fringes of the UN general debate last week, Guterres also called for human rights such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of assembly and association to be respected, said his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric on Tuesday.

"We are increasingly concerned by reports of a surge in deaths related to the protests, including women and children," the spokesman added.

Guterres called on the Iranian security forces "not to use unnecessary or disproportionate force" and called on "everyone to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid further escalation."

Guterres also called for a "speedy, independent and effective investigation" into the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

The United Nations women's organization UN Women has pledged its support to women in Iran following the violent crackdown on protesters by security forces.

"We call on the competent authorities to support and enable the exercise of full human rights in a safe environment without fear of violence, prosecution or prosecution," said a statement published during the night.

The women should be allowed to protest unjustly without being subjected to reprisals.

They have the right to physical autonomy, which also includes their choice of clothing.

Central Council of Muslims warns of anti-Muslim racism

The protest in Iran is also being discussed in Germany.

In a current hour, the Bundestag debates the nationwide protests in Iran on Wednesday.

The Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) has condemned the violence of the Iranian security forces against demonstrators.

"Many German Muslims have great respect for the courage of the protesting women on Iranian streets," ZMD chairman Aiman ​​Mazyek told the editorial network Germany.

"They fear for demonstrators who are being brutally clubbed down by Iranian security forces."

Mazyek emphasized that from a Muslim point of view there should be "neither a headscarf obligation nor an obligation not to wear a headscarf".

At the same time, Mazyek warned that developments in Iran were being used "to fuel the enemy image of Muslims again and so sow discord between Muslims and non-Muslims."

As an example, he cited the paint attack on a mosque in Hamburg over the weekend, in which a 71-year-old was slightly injured.

muk/dpa/AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-09-28

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