Iranian Courts’ Response To Protests Will be “Firm,” Judiciary Warns

Iran's judiciary says the country’s courts will deal firmly with anyone who causes “disruptions or commits crimes” during the ongoing wave of anti-government protests.

The courts will act with those arrested “in a firm, deterrent and legal manner," spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said at a news conference in Tehran on November 8.

Setayeshi said that cases have been filed against 1,024 protesters in Tehran alone.

Over the weekend, more than 220 hardline Iranian lawmakers urged the judiciary to "deal decisively" with perpetrators of unrest sparked by the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Tehran’s morality police.

The largely peaceful demonstrations have grown to become the biggest challenge to Iran’s regime since the 2009 protest movement.

The protest movement triggered a heavy-handed crackdown in which security forces fired bullets, birdshot, and tear gas at protesters, killing more than 300 people. Several thousand people have also been arrested, with many detainees being subjected to torture. Dozens of security forces have also been killed in the unrest, according to state media.