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Provinces

Protests Continue in Iran Despite Security Crackdown

May 15, 2022
IranWire
1 min read
Riot police vans lined the streets in some cities as protests continued over the weekend
Riot police vans lined the streets in some cities as protests continued over the weekend

Iran's latest wave of widespread anti-government protests, which began five days ago, continued on May 14 despite the heavy presence of security forces and frequent internet disruptions. Numerous reports online suggest that a number of protesters have been killed and many more arrested.

In Neishabur, the second-largest city in the northeastern province of Razavi Khorasan, protesters gathered at 10am and chanted “[President] Raisi, have some shame and resign from the government!” Videos showed security forces apparently arresting people. Elsewhere in Quchan, in the same province, protestors marched and chanted against skyrocketing prices for food and other necessities.

Protests in Neishabur in Razavi Khorasan province

 

In Boroujen, in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, people also denounced rising prices while videos of other protests in the same province showed demonstrators inviting all “honorable” citizens to support them.

The fifth night of protests in Boroujen in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province

 

Protests also broke out in in Hafshejan and Sureshjan, two other cities in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, where according to one tweet a protester by the name of Saadat Hadipour was shot and killed in Hafshejan.

Protests in Sureshjan in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari

 

And in Shahrekord, the capital of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, and despite the heavy presence security forces, protesters for a third consecutive night took to the streets and chanted slogans against the leaders of the Islamic Republic.

Internet access in Iran has been disrupted since the protests began, with widepsread slow-downs reported and many social media users saying online that opening and watching videos has become impossible. Net Blocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and internet service, confirmed that “an internet disruption has been registered in Iran with high impact to provider MobinNet.”

The names of three protesters, killed in Farsan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and in Dezful and Andimeshk in Khuzestan, have been released, as have the names of tens of protesters who have been arrested.

Ahmad Avaei, Dezful’s representative to Parliament, confirmed that one protesters in that city has been killed. He did not provide any details. As of May 13, Iranian officials had confirmed that at least 22 protesters in various cities had been arrested. No update on arrests since then has been announced.

Reports on social media published yesterday, however, suggest that security forces in the city of Suq, in the southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, arrested seven people; Hojatollah Ghandi, Enayat Taghavi, Rasoul Mousavi, Saadat Taghavi, Majid Masoudi, Salman Hemmatian and Mahna Gorgi. During the arrest of Enayat Taghavi, his mother, Gordafrid Taghavi, who lost another son to the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, was beaten by security forces.

Gordafrid Taghavi, who lost a son during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, was beaten in the city of Suq, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, as security forces arrested another son, Enayat

 

Security agents have also arrested dozens of people in Khuzestan province ofer the past severl days. The names of around 40 of these people have been published by the Telegram cannel Khak Zadegan.

Videos of small demonstrations in Tehran were also posted online in recent days but their authenticity has yet to be established.

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