(C) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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Iran's Judiciary Head Says 'No Leniency' As Crackdown's Death Toll Rises [1]
['Rfe Rl']
Date: 2022-09
The head of Iran's powerful judiciary has pledged to act "without leniency" in a deadly crackdown against nationwide demonstrations now in their second week since a young Iranian woman died after a reported beating at the hands of morality police.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei's comments on the judiciary's official Mizan Online on September 25 follow a warning the previous day by hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi that the country must "deal decisively with those who oppose the country's security and tranquility."
Mizan Online said Mohseni-Ejei had "emphasized the need for decisive action without leniency" against the primary instigators of what he described as "riots."
An official toll said 41 people have so far died in the unrest, but rights groups and other observers suggest the number is likely higher as protests have spread to at least 80 cities and towns.
Officials in Tehran have blamed foreign governments and other outside elements for fomenting the protests.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on September 25 that it summoned both the British and Norwegian ambassadors over alleged actions and comments related to the unrest.
It said the British envoy was summoned over Persian-speaking media in London's "invitation to riots" among Iranians.
Tehran summoned Oslo's envoy over what it said were "unconstructive comments" by the Norwegian parliament's Tehran-born speaker, Masud Gharahkhani.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16 after she fell into a coma following her detention by Iran's morality police for an allegedly loose head covering triggered protests and rallies across Iran.
The public outrage increased after officials suggested the police did not mistreat her despite eyewitness accounts of a beating.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that "we must wait for the final opinion of the medical examiner, which takes time."
Defiant protesters have mostly come out at night -- many of them women frustrated at decades of discrimination embodied by the harsh dress code mandating the wearing of a headscarf, or hijab, in public.
On September 23, state-organized counterdemonstrations took place in several Iranian cities, paying tribute to security forces who have moved to quell a week of protests by what media called "conspirators."
WhatsApp, Instagram, and Skype have been blocked and Internet access restricted beyond normal levels, according to web monitor NetBlocks, following older bans on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Telegram.
Amnesty International has cited "a harrowing pattern of Iranian security forces deliberately and unlawfully firing live ammunition at protesters." It blamed Iranian security forces for shootings on one night alone, September 21, that left three children and 16 other people dead.
The group urged the international community to take "meaningful action" to force an end to the crackdown.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with President Raisi in New York on September 22 and expressed concern "about reports of peaceful protests being met with excessive use of force leading to dozens of deaths and injuries," according to a spokesman.
He called on Iran's security forces to avoid "unnecessary or disproportionate force" and appealed for "restraint to avoid further escalation."
With reporting by AFP
[END]
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[1] Url:
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judiciary-no-leniency-crackdown-protests/32051395.html
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