Ned Price: US Condemns Suppression of Peaceful Protests in Iran

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, denounced the use of violence against peaceful protests in Iran. More than 100 protesting teachers, including those in the cities of Shiraz, Qazvin, and towns in Kurdistan Province, have been arrested.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said during a press briefing on Thursday, June 26 (June 16) in Washington regarding Iran’s recent crackdowns that the United States condemns the use of violence against peaceful protests and supports the rights of protesters to enjoy their fundamental freedoms.

Price recalled that the Iranian people are demanding government accountability to their legitimate demands and added that “Iran’s government mismanagement” has resulted in the most basic needs of the people not being met.

The U.S. State Department spokesperson also criticized disruptions in Iranian people’s access to the internet.

Ned Price’s remarks come two days after a group of UN human rights experts, including Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, expressed concern about violent suppression of protesters and labor unions and teachers’ unions in Iran.

These experts, in issuing a statement, said that in the past month and a half, five people have been killed in broader protests due to “severe use of force by security forces.”

Arrest of 100 Teachers in Iran

Meanwhile, the arrest of protesting teachers continued on Thursday, June 26. Multiple news sources reported the detention of 100 teachers, including in Shiraz, Qazvin, and towns in Kurdistan Province.

Despite severe suppression, protests in Iran have not subsided.

Following a call by the Coordination Council of Teachers’ Professional Associations, on Thursday, June 26 (June 16), teachers and educators in various Iranian cities held protest rallies.