Day 31 of Protests Across Iran: UN Demands End to Killing of Young People

Reports sent to Iranwire show that nationwide anti-government protests continued for their fifth consecutive week across Iran on Monday, October 17.

These protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police last month. The resulting demonstrations have become Iran’s longest anti-government protests since the 1979 revolution.

The unrest has worsened in response to reports of the systematic killing of students and children. In a statement, the United Nations Council on the Rights of the Child strongly condemned the violation of children's rights by Iran’s security. It demanded an end to the arrests, torture, and killing of young people.

Videos sent to Iranwire show protesters gathering on the streets of the city of Abdanan in Ilam province. According to sources, the gathering of large crowds resulted in security forces being sent from Dehlran city to Abdanan.

In one of the videos from October 17, protesters set fire to a Basij statue in one of the city’s squares.

Photos sent from the Ekbatan settlement in Tehran show protesters projecting a large image of Mahsa Amini onto the wall of a building.There were also large protests in the town of Ekbatan, and reports indicate the presence of special forces around the area.

In one of the videos sent to Iran Wire from Sanandaj, despite the heavy presence of special forces in the city over the past month, protesting students chanted "Death to the dictator" in the streets.In Piranshahr, on the evening of October 17, protesters gathered in the streets and lit fires.

The protests have also inspired various works of art. For example, the citizens of Mahabadi have painted the water of Mellat Park the color of blood.There have also been reports of the burning of the seminary building in Fouldshahr, Isfahan, which IranWire was unable to confirm independently.

Students continue to protest

Yesterday, in many universities across Iran, students continued to strike and boycott classes in protest against the widespread arrest of students over the past month.

Videos received by IranWire show the students of Karaj Azad University chanting slogans and calling on others to join the protests and end the rule of the Islamic Republic.

At Mazandaran University, students asked their professors to join the protests with the slogan: "Give us your support."

At the University of Bushehr, protesting students chanted slogans supporting workers' strikes in the oil and petrochemical industries. They demanded the union of workers and students, and the formation of a nationwide strike.

The students of Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan sat down in front of the Literature Faculty of the university on Monday, October 25 and demanded the unconditional release of the arrested students from the university. According to a report from the Student Union Councils, the protesting students announced they would continue to strike until the release of their fellow university students.

The report emphasized the prevention of the security forces from filming the sit-in and the continuation of the strict security measures at the university. It also described the lack of Internet access on campus.

Videos sent to IranWire show plainclothes officers attacking medical students from Ardabil University in Imam Hospital.

The United Nations demands an end to the killing and torture of Iranian students

A statement published by the UN Council on the Rights of the Child highlighted the deaths of at least 23 children and young people, including an 11-year-old child.

It called on the Islamic Republic to "fulfill its human rights obligations, especially within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child."

The Council also stated that children had been killed by direct gunfire and as a result of being beaten by the security forces. It declared that many grieving families were forced to make fake confessions about the suicide of their children under pressure from security forces.

The statement also expressed concern about the detention of students in schools, as well as their torture and imprisonment in "psychological centers".

Youssef Nouri, Iran’s Minister of Education, previously confirmed reports that some detained students were transferred to the psychology centers for "reformation counselling" from "experts."

Earlier, in a statement published on Wednesday, October 12, the Coordinating Council of Trade Union Organizations of Iran expressed concern about the arrest of students and asked the government to end the militarization of cities and their policies of the intimidation and detention of students.

The statement emphasized the need for an impartial and independent investigation of children's rights violations by the Islamic Republic authorities, while also demanding they be prosecuted.

According to the report from the Human Rights Organization, at least 215 people have been killing in the course of the protests, of which at least 27 are children under the age of 18.