Thu 03 November 2022:
On Thursday, protestors and security forces in Iran clashed in a town close to the capital, resulting in at least two fatalities, according to state-run media, which also published graphic photographs of what appeared to be an attack on a police vehicle.
It was the most recent in a string of protests that have shaken Iran for more than six weeks and represent one of the most significant threats to the country’s clerical leaders since they took control during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A rights group estimates that since the uprising started, at least 300 demonstrators have died and hundreds have been detained.
The protesters had gathered in Karaj, just outside Tehran, to mark the 40th day since the shooting death of Hadis Najafi, 22, one of several young women to have been killed during the protests. The demonstrations were ignited by the death of another woman held by the country’s morality police.
Clashes erupt near Iran’s capital as ongoing protests flare#IranRevolution2022 #MahsaaAmini #MahsaAmini #Iran #Iran pic.twitter.com/8BcRQG6n9Z
— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) November 3, 2022
Videos circulated online showed thousands of protesters in Karaj and clashes with police. In one of them, a helicopter flies over the protesters and drops flash grenades in an attempt to disperse them before landing in the middle of a highway. Government supporters on social media said the helicopter was sent to aid wounded policemen.
The state-run IRNA news agency quoted the head of emergency services in Karaj, Ahmad Mahdavi, as saying two people were killed and others wounded during the unrest. He did not specify whether the two were protesters or security forces, or provide further details.
IRNA circulated videos and photos on social media showing a police pickup truck that had crashed into a concrete barrier on a highway.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but videos showed protesters hurling rocks at the vehicle and a man firing into it as at least three wounded individuals were inside. The photos showed what appeared to be two lifeless bodies.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that three policemen were seriously wounded in clashes with protesters. It was not immediately clear it it was referring to the same event. Tasnim also reported that protesters set fire to a police kiosk and van. The semiofficial Fars news agency said a member of Iran’s paramilitary Basij force was stabbed to death in Karaj.
Iranian authorities heavily restrict media coverage of the protests and have periodically shut down internet access across the country, making it difficult to confirm details of the unrest.
In a separate development, IRNA reported that masked men shot dead Sajad Shahraki, a cleric in the southeastern city of Zahedan, which has seen the deadliest violence in recent weeks. The report did not identify a motive or provide further details.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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