Increasing Calls for Disclosure of November Protest Death Toll
Ali Motahari responded to a letter from the Interior Minister regarding November 2019 casualties, stating that the report was not convincing. Jalali Pour, in a meeting with Rouhani, asked the president to disclose the number of November 2019 deaths with honesty and transparency.
Ali Motahari, Tehran’s representative in parliament, did not find the Interior Minister’s response—claiming the ministry was not responsible for November 2019 events—to be convincing. Motahari had stated in his final speech before his term in the tenth parliament: “The Interior Minister is the main culprit in the November events, during which many people were killed.”
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Interior Minister, also stated in a letter read in parliament: “The November events, the circumstances and decisions before, during, and after them, are a national and inter-sectoral issue for which each responsible institution will be accountable for its actions based on its inherent duties.”
Ali Motahari wrote on his personal Twitter account about the Interior Minister’s letter: “The Interior Minister’s response to my speech about his responsibility in November 2019 events was not convincing. My point was that as the official responsible for implementing the decisions of the leadership, he should have at least spoken with the people for one month. Moreover, his claim about impeachment signatures falling short is not factual.”
The November 2019 protests began following a threefold increase in gasoline prices across Iran and quickly took on a political character, targeting the entire Islamic Republic system. However, Iran’s security and police forces, under the cover of internet shutdowns and the absence of free press, severely suppressed the protests.
Amidst the Islamic Republic’s silence on the number of deaths and detentions, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and independent media outlets have attempted to provide casualty figures and have called for independent investigations into the matter.
Khamenei’s Order to Suppress November Protesters
ReutersNews Agency, a few weeks after the November protests, reported in an exclusive report citing Iranian officials that approximately 1,500 people were killed in these protests in Iran.
Reuters reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued orders for harsh treatment of the protesters. The news agency stated that Khamenei’s order for severe suppression of protesters was confirmed by three sources close to the Supreme Leader.
Jalali Pour to Rouhani: Disclose the Number of November Deaths
Approximately six months after the November 2019 protests, the Islamic Republic has remained silent on casualty figures. Some reformists within the country have asked the government and Rouhani personally to break this silence and disclose the number of deaths.
During a meeting of “politicians” with Rouhani on Monday, Ordibehesht 28, there was another request made to Iran’s president to “provide accurate statistics on November casualties.”
Ali Shokouri Rad, Secretary General of the United Nations Party and reformist political activist, said about Rouhani’s meeting with 15 political activists: “Hamidrezaa Jalali Pour, a reformist political activist, in the aforementioned meeting, referring to last year’s November events, asked Rouhani; why don’t you present accurate casualty figures so as not to create an opportunity for those who claim there were 1,500 deaths.”
Jalali Pour stated that “the most important capital is people’s satisfaction” and that the government needs to change some of its policies in order to gain public support.
Iranian media have not reported on Rouhani’s response to the request for disclosure of November casualty figures.
Source: DW
