Coinciding with the 40th day commemoration of those who died in Iran’s popular protests, reports and images circulating on social media indicate that some protesters have been arrested at Behesht-e Sakineh cemetery in Karaj and at the 40th day ceremony for Poya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of these events.
An informed source told Voice of America that at least ten people were arrested at the cemetery in the city of Karaj. Voice of America has not yet been able to independently confirm the number of those arrested in Karaj and other cities.
Based on videos released on December 26th, security forces had a significant presence at Behesht-e Sakineh cemetery in Karaj, where victims of the protests in that city were buried; a presence that was accompanied by clashes between security forces and people and the arrest of some of them.
Also, in footage sent to Voice of America, Thursday saw completely securitized conditions in some cities that had deaths during last month’s protests.
Currently, there is no precise count of those arrested at the 40th day commemoration ceremonies for the victims.
The 40th day commemoration of the death of protesters in Iran took place while Islamic Republic authorities had not permitted families of the deceased to hold 40th day ceremonies, and some of them, like members of Poya Bakhtiari’s family who had issued a nationwide call for public participation in his 40th day ceremony, were arrested. An 11-year-old child was among those arrested.
The Islamic Republic arrested this young man’s family members a few days ago, and it was after that when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo strongly condemned the arrest of Poya Bakhtiari’s parents in a statement and called for their immediate release.
The security situation in Iran started from Wednesday and in the run-up to December 26th with internet disruptions and shutdowns in some Iranian cities.
NetBlocks, an internet monitoring organization, reported on its Twitter page that evidence shows “disruptions in mobile internet” in parts of Iran from 6:30 AM Iranian time on Wednesday, December 16th.
The commemoration ceremony for those killed in Iran is taking place as the Islamic Republic continues to refuse to release accurate statistics on the deaths and arrests in these protests.
This is while Reuters news agency reported the death toll in Iran’s protests at 1,500 people and wrote, citing three sources close to the Islamic Republic’s leader, that Khamenei had ordered government and security officials to do “whatever is necessary” to stop the protests.
Human rights activists have called on permanent members of the UN Security Council to condemn the suppression of people in Iran by approving a resolution as a “crime against humanity.”
Source: Voice of America
