Iranian security forces injured several people by opening fire on a protest sparked by the death of a young student shortly after his release, human rights groups said Friday (June 2nd).
Protests erupted Thursday night in Abdanan, in the Kurdish-populated western province of Ilam, according to the Norway-based Hengaw group, the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network and the 1500tasvir count, which tracks the protests.
Anger over student death
People took to the streets to express their anger at the death of 21-year-old Bamshad Soleimankhani in late May, just days after his release from prison. Hengaw showed people marching in the street as the sound of gunfire was audible as well as images of protesters with injured torsos. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the images. Hengaw said 25 people were injured in the crackdown on protesters chanting anti-regime slogans.
Protests erupted in September in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested on the pretext of flouting Iranian dress rules for women. These protests, which had shaken the country's clerical authorities, have eased somewhat in recent months, but still continue sporadically.
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For his part, 1500tasvir said his family noticed that Soleimankhani had foam in his mouth after his release from prison and he was taken to hospital, where doctors recorded multiple fractures on his body and cigarette burns he allegedly suffered in detention. He later died. The organization described him as sympathetic to the opposition movement, but it was not immediately clear when or why he was arrested.
While protest movements are less intense than at the height of the movement at the end of last year, spontaneous street demonstrations are taking place in response to specific events. In recent months, activists have noted several demonstrations across the country, including after the hanging of three men involved in protests. A total of seven people have been executed since the beginning of the movement.