Nationwide Protests in Iran Continues on Day Nine

On September 25, the nationwide protests continued nine days after the death of Mahsa Amini. Demonstrations continued in at least 19 cities and universities, as the number of arrests and the individuals injured or killed increased. There were disruptions and outages in internet and phone services and social media was filtered. 

On September 24,25, 2022, despite the heavy presence of riot police and plainclothes security agents, people held demonstrations in many cities, including Shahin-Shahr, Karaj, Shiraz, Amol, Babol, Sanandaj, Tehran, Fardis, Isfahan, Tabriz, Zahedan, Fuman, Sabzevar, Qaen, Shahr-e-Rey, and Nowshahr. 

The Sharif University of Technology and the University of Tehran students held protests on campus, chanting slogans  such as “Death to the dictator”, “Jailed student should be freed”, and “We will fight, we will die, but we will take back Iran.”

The two maps below show the geographical distribution and concentrations of the protests until the seventh day of protests. 

On September 25, the Coordination Council of the Iranian Teachers Trade Association issued a statement asking teachers and students all over Iran to join the general strike.

 It is estimated that many individuals have been arrested, as 450 arrests were reported only in the city of Sari. However, HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, is still working on fact-checking and reviewing the reports independently. HRANA has identified and verified 48 individuals arrested so far.

There were also reports of several individuals killed as a result of the brutality of the security apparatus. The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported 41 deaths, of which HRANA has identified 38.

The map below shows the distribution of the death toll as of the seventh day of protests.

Below is a compilation of the videos gathered on the eighth and ninth days of protests in Iran.

Filmmaker Mohammad Siamaknia Arrested in Tabriz 

On September 24, 2022, Iran’s security forces arrested filmmaker Mohammad Siamaknia in Tabriz and transferred him to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on September 24, 2022, filmmaker Mohammad Siamaknia was arrested in Tabriz.

An informed source told HRANA that on the eighth day of the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, Siamaknia was arrested at work and taken to an unidentified location. Officials have not provided Siamaknia’s family with any information about his condition.

The reason for this arrest is still unknown.

Siamaknia is a filmmaker with several documentaries on social issues and short films such as “Woodpecker” and “Language”.

Azerbaijani Turk Activists Meysam and Mohammad Julani Arrested 

On September 22, security forces arrested Azerbaijani Turk activists Meysam Julani and Mohammad Julani and transferred them to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on September 22, two Turk activists Meysam Julani and Mohammad  Julani were arrested in Ardabil.

Their whereabouts and the charges against these individuals are still unknown.

HRANA has also reported the arrest of two other Azerbaijani Turk activists Asgar Akbarzadeh and Saeed Sadeghifar in Ardabil on the same day.

Nationwide Protests Continue after Mahsa Amini’s Death Sixth Day 

On September 22, 2022, nationwide protests following Mahsa Amini’s death continued in cities across Iran despite heavy police presence in the streets. Protests started in Tehran and the Kurdistan region and spread.

The security forces fired teargas, pellet guns and shotguns to scatter the crowds in several cities and internet and mobile services were disrupted or shot down as the Supreme National Security Council of Iran ordered to restrict people’s access to Instagram and WhatsApp.

During the protests in the past six days, several individuals have been killed or injured and many were arrested. 

The government-affiliated media has started broadcasting coerced confessions as the international criticisms of the government’s actions continue.

On the sixth day of the nationwide protests,   demonstrations continued in Tehran, Oshnavieh, Golshahr, Kashmar, Malekan, Behbahan, Dehdasht, Shirvan, Shahrood, Neyshabur, Tabriz, and Bandar-Anzali, with slogans such as  “death to Khamenei” and “death to the dictator”, as eyewitnesses reported the presence of riot police and plainclothes security agents.

Over 25 are estimated to have been killed so far. HRANA has obtained the following list, of which HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, can verify 10. HRANA is reviewing and fact-checking the following list:

  1.     Minoo Majidi (Kermanshah)
  2.     Reza Lotfi (Dehgolan)
  3.     Mohsen Mohammadi (Divandarreh)
  4.     Foad Ghadimi (Divandarreh)
  5.     Zakaria Khial (Piranshahr)
  6.     Freydoon Mahmoodi (Saqqez)
  7.     Mohsen Gheisari (Ilam)
  8.     Abbas Khaleghi (Qazvin)
  9.     Amir Nowruzi (Bandar-Anzali)
  10.   Abdollah Mahmoodpour (Balo Village, Urmia )
  11.   Farjad Darvish (Balo Village, Urmia)
  12.   Danesh Rahnama (Balo Village,  Urmia County)
  13.   Fardin Bakhtiari (Sanandaj)
  14.   Amin Maarefat (Oshnavieh)
  15.   Sadredin Litiani (Oshnavieh)
  16.   Milan Haghighi (Oshnavieh)
  17.   Roozbeh Khademi (Karaj)
  18.   Pedram Azarnoosh (Dehdasht)
  19.   Mehrdad Behnam (Dehdasht)
  20.   Hananeh Kia (Nowshahr)

 

There were additional reports on unconfirmed deaths. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting  (IRIB) has officially announced the death of 17 people during the nationwide protests. Kermanshah prosecutor has also said that two people were killed and 25 were injured. Iran Human Rights Organization reported that in Amol, 11 people have been killed.

Mahsa Amini was arrested by Tehran Morality Police at a train station for improper hejab. She fell into a coma after head trauma and later died at a hospital in Tehran.

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Nahid Shirpisheh Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced Nahid Shirpisheh, Pouya Bakhtiari’s mother, to five years in prison. Shirpisheh has been jailed for two months. Bakhtiari was among the protestors who were killed in November 2019. 

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Shirpisheh was sentenced to five years in prison on the charges of “assembly and collusion”, and “propaganda against the regime.”

Shirpisheh is currently held in Kachooie Prison in Karaj. She has been prohibited from phone calls and family visits. She also has been denied medical care.

On July 11, 2022, security forces arrested the mothers of the individuals killed during the nationwide protests in 2019 known as the Aban protests, including Nahid Shirpisheh. In a news article, IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency called these justice-seeking families “agitators and troublemakers”.

In November of 2019, an increase in fuel prices sparked a wave of protests in dozens of cities. The spokesperson of the Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Seyed Hossein Taghavi, announced that 7000 people were arrested during these protests. According to reports from human rights organizations, hundreds were killed by the security apparatus.

Azerbaijani Turk Activists Asgar Akbarzadeh and Saeed Sadeghifar Arrested

On September 22, security forces arrested Azerbaijani Turk activists Asgar Akbarzadeh and Saeed Sadeghifar and transferred them to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on September 22, two Turk activists Asgar Akbarzadeh and Saeed Sadeghifar were arrested in Ardabil.

The agents search Akbarzadeh’s house at the time of the arrest. Sadeghifar was arrested at his workplace.

Both of these activists face arrests and convictions on prior occasions.

Fifth Day of Nationwide Protests Following Mahsa Amini’s Death

On September 21, 2022, nationwide protests following Mahsa Amini’s death continued in at least 43 cities in Iran. The security forces fired teargas, pellet guns and shotguns to scatter the crowds. In several universities, students demonstrated against the compulsory hejab.

The internet and mobile services were disrupted and blackouts were reported. Access to Instagram and WhatsApp was limited, and a number of individuals were arrested, injured, or killed in the streets. 

In a statement to justify Mahsa Amini’s death, the Director General of Tehran Forensic Medicine suggested that the underlying medical conditions as the cause. He also claimed that there were no traces of violence and injuries on Amini’s body, which her father refutes.

Iran’s government faces domestic and international criticism over Amini’s death.

As the map below shows, during the past five days protests have occurred in 114 cities in 29 provinces. In 69 cities, at least 94 protests have taken place and in 18 universities, the students organized demonstrations.

Based on the reports obtained by HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, and after fact-checking the protests’ videos, HRANA is able to verify that the security forces have used teargas, pellet guns and in some cases shotguns against the protestors.

HRANA can verify the death of seven individuals who have been killed, including Minoo Majidi, Reza Lotfi, Farjad Darvish, Mohsen Mohammadi, Zakaria Khial (Soleimani), Freydoon Mahmoodi, and Foad Ghadimi.

Mahsa Amini was arrested by Tehran Morality Police at a train station for improper hejab. She fell into a coma after head trauma and later died at a hospital in Tehran.

Below is a compilation of the videos gathered on the fifth day of protests in Iran:

 

 

Women Rights Activist Avin Rasti Arrested

Security forces arrested women rights activist Avin Rasti and transferred her to an unidentified location on September 20, 2022, for her participation in protests after the death of Mahsa Amini.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, women rights activist Avin Rasti was arrested in Mariwan, Kurdistan Province.

Since the nationwide protests began after the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, numerous individuals have been arrested.

So far, HRANA has identified several individuals who have been arrested, including Mehdi Hamidi Shafigh in Tabriz, Shoja Roushan in Sanandaj, Nazanin Jalil, Neda Mousavi, Keyvan Mousavi, Yamin Daneshi in Yasuj, Sooran Mohammadian, and Samku Mohammadian in Divandarreh, and Leila Abbasi in Bijar.

Additional 19 individuals have been arrested and jailed in Saqqez Prison, and the deputy police chief of Gilan Province announced the arrest of 22 protestors in Rasht.

Ten Citizens Summoned and Arrested in Different Cities

During the past two days, following the nationwide protests over Mahsa Amini’s death, security forces arrested at least eight individuals in Mariwan, Sanandaj, Kamyaran, and Mahabad. In Mariwan, the Ministry of Intelligence also summoned two individuals.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on September 20, 2022, the Ministry of Intelligence summoned and arrested Sarkut Alipour and Heybat Alipour in Mariwan.

Farhad Maleki and Shooresh Ebrahimi were also summoned. Security forces arrested Saber Abdollah-Tash, 37, and Hadi Kamangar during the protests in Mahabad and Kamyaran.

The Independent Iranian Workers Union has reported the arrest of another individual identified as Amir Gholami. 

Kolbarnews reported the arrest of three individuals identified as Kaveh Karimi in Sanandaj on Tuesday and Sirwan Moradi and Anvar Ghorbani in Kamiaran on Monday and Tuesday.