Khamenei: Blood money should be paid to some families

The number of people killed, injured, and arrested in the November protests remains unclear, but Khamenei has agreed to call some of the victims “martyrs” and pay blood money and comfort the families. He had previously called the protesters “evildoers” and “enemy agents.”

The Leader of the Islamic Republic has agreed with the suggestions of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council for managing the situation of the dead and injured in the November protests, saying: "...it should be done as quickly as possible and suspicious individuals in each group should be dealt with in a manner that is closer to Islamic morality."

Ali Shamkhani had said in the report that ordinary citizens who had no role in the demonstrations and protests but died should be considered “martyrs” and their families should be covered by the Martyr and Veterans Affairs Foundation. Another suggestion was to pay blood money to the families of the deceased and offer them consolation.

Fars News Agency writes: "In the case of those victims of recent incidents who were killed in armed clashes with security forces, it was decided that after examining the situation and records of their families, the accounts of legitimate and honorable families should be separated from those of individuals who committed criminal acts, and their families should be given appropriate attention and consolation."

Fars writes that immediately after the recent events, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council was tasked with immediately presenting a report on the roots, factors, and reasons for the unrest. According to the news agency, the work of investigating the files filed for the victims and injured in the recent events has begun at the provincial level.

This is despite the fact that no official statistics have been released on the number of people killed, injured, and arrested in the November protests, and judicial authorities are content to deny media reports outside Iran. Amnesty International says at least 208 people have been killed, including several teenagers.

From "evil" to "martyrdom"

Khamenei had previously called the November protests an “enemy conspiracy” and the protesters “evildoers,” saying: “… they had spent a lot of money and were waiting for an opportunity to do it at a critical moment using destructive, murderous, and evil actions, and they thought the gasoline issue was their opportunity and they brought their army into the field…”

Hours before Khamenei's orders were issued, Hassan Rouhani announced that confessions from a number of those arrested would be broadcast on television in the near future, saying: "In these incidents, some people came with cold and hot weapons and looted and set fire to stores. These people should be separated and the judiciary should make more efforts. Of course, criminals should also be dealt with according to the law, and those who have committed minor offenses and crimes should also be dealt with Islamic compassion."

On Wednesday morning, November 4, at the "Insurance and Development Conference," Rouhani stated: "The planning of the people who were present in an organized manner in the incidents began two years ago, and they wanted to take action in late January and near the elections, but when this plan was announced, their masters from abroad said that a good situation had arisen now and they dragged them to the streets."

Rouhani also acknowledged that not all those killed in the protests were rioters: "...If someone is killed in a neighborhood or city, we should not immediately say that he was a rioter, but rather he may have been innocent or wanted to defend himself or was passing by or chanted a simple slogan."

He also announced that he has appointed a three-member committee consisting of the vice president for legal affairs, the interior minister, and the justice minister to investigate the matter. This comes as parliamentarians are trying to impeach the interior minister as responsible and accountable for implementing the gasoline price hike plan. Ali Motahari, a member of the Omid faction, said that in principle, Rouhani should have been impeached, but this is not advisable due to the country’s unusual circumstances.

Motahari emphasized that the gasoline price hike plan was bad, poorly implemented, and the treatment of protesters was also bad, but preserving the system is a priority and "the scandal must be contained in a way that does not harm the essence of the system."

Source: DW