Protest rally in Mashhad in solidarity with the people of Khuzestan
A group of civil society activists in Mashhad held a rally, expressing solidarity with the protests in Khuzestan, and calling for the Iranian people to join the protests and release political prisoners. Security forces arrested a number of protesters.
On Sunday evening, August 1, a group of civil society activists held a protest rally in Mashhad to express their solidarity with the protests of the people of Khuzestan. The Mashhad protesters also called for the release of all political prisoners.
In a video released from the demonstration, the protesters held images of the victims of the 1998 protests and placards in support of the protests of the people of Khuzestan.
The protesters called on the people of Mashhad to "break their years of silence and sympathize with and unite with the people who are asking for water and are being shot by security forces instead."
Protesters said they planned to hold their rally on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Mashhad's Mellat Park, but were unable to hold the rally due to the heavy security atmosphere.
According to civil activists in Mashhad, security officers arrested Fatemeh Sepehri, a political activist and one of the signatories of the "Statement of 14 Women Activists for Khamenei's Resignation," Javad Lal Mohammadi, a member of the Iranian Teachers' Union in Mashhad, and a number of others whom they were unable to identify.
HRANA news agency reflected this news by publishing a tweet.
Protesters in the released footage said they were forced to hold the rally in another park. The Mashhad protesters chanted slogans such as “Khorasan with Khuzestan, unity of unity,” and “Political prisoners must be released.”
Protests in Iran have continued in recent days. On Saturday, July 31, a protest rally was held in front of the Tehran City Theater at the request of a group of Iranian artists.
Protesters chanted slogans in support of the Khuzestan protests at Valiasr intersection and the Tehran City Theater area. According to news reports on social media, they chanted, among other things, "The country has no water, the killing continues."
This rally also turned violent following the presence of plainclothes police forces.
Demonstrations in various cities of Khuzestan began some time ago to protest against the lack of water and the inefficiency of the Islamic Republic's officials. The protests have spread to most parts of Iran and have been accompanied by violent confrontations by security forces.
