52 people arrested in protest rally in Mashhad

Hassan Heydari, head of the Mashhad Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, said on Thursday, January 27, that 52 people were arrested during a protest rally in the city.

According to media and social media reports, the cities of Mashhad, Neyshabur, Kashmar, and Shahroud witnessed protest rallies on Thursday under the slogan “No to Expensive Prices.” According to some videos posted on social media, the protest rally in Mashhad turned violent after the police responded with water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters.

According to Fars News Agency, Hassan Heydari said regarding the protest rally in Mashhad: "This morning, a rally was held in Mashhad's Martyrs' Square, and some disruptive individuals chanted harsh slogans, which were confronted."

The head of Mashhad's Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, referring to the fact that 52 people were arrested during Thursday's protest rally, stated, "The law does not tolerate in any way those who seek to abuse social conditions to cause disturbance to other citizens and disrupt security."

Some reports published on social media indicate that a number of people were injured in Thursday's protest rally in Mashhad, but so far no confirmed reports of possible injuries from the rally have been published.

According to ISNA, Mohammad Rahim Norouzian, the governor of Mashhad, also said regarding Thursday's protest rally in the city: "This rally was illegal, but the police treated the protesters very tolerantly."

According to videos posted on some Telegram channels, hundreds of participants gathered in front of the Mashhad municipality building in the city's Martyrs' Square, protesting against high prices and chanting slogans such as "Death to the dictator" and "Death to Rouhani."

Other slogans chanted by the protesters included "You trampled on Islam, you humiliated the people," "Reza Shah, may your soul rest in peace," "What a mistake I made to start a revolution," "Police, go and catch the thief," "No Gaza, no Lebanon, I will sacrifice my life for Iran," and "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together."

Protest rally in Neyshabur

Reports indicate that a rally to protest against the price hike was also held in Nishapur on Thursday.

Saeed Sheibani, deputy governor and governor of Neyshabur, told ISNA that the rally was held despite warnings from government officials.

The governor of Neyshabur stated: "As announced the day before, this gathering did not have a permit, and we announced it so that fellow citizens would also pay attention to the fact that the gathering, which was called for on virtual networks, is illegal and did not receive a permit, but this gathering took place."

The governor of Nishapur says no one was arrested during the protest rally in the city.

Videos posted on social media indicate that protesters in Neyshabur, while protesting against high prices and unemployment, chanted slogans such as: "Think about us, leave Syria," "O young Iranian, stand up," and "The thief loots, the government supports."

These rallies were held in a situation where in recent weeks, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been criticized by his opponents and critics for the high prices of goods and consumer goods.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, called on Thursday for the people's voices to be heard in response to the protest rally in Mashhad.

Mr. Sadeghi wrote on his Twitter account, "The protest gathering of people in Mashhad and some cities is actually a protest against the chaos and shortcomings in the country's macro-system of planning and management in different eras; instead of trying to silence it and make it appear political and factional, let's hear the people's voice and think of a solution for it."

According to IRNA, Ahmad Alam-ul-Huda, representative of the Supreme Leader and Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, also said in this regard: "At the rally in Mashhad on Thursday, which was illegally planned by an unknown authority, some people abused the people's demands."

Source: Radio Farda