Public Protests; At Least One Person Killed in Farsan; Internet Cut in Several Khuzestan Cities

A civil activist living in Farsan, a district of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, said on Wednesday, May 18, that despite the security atmosphere and direct gunfire at protesters by security forces and complete internet shutdown, scattered public protests continue in this county.

Meanwhile, reports on social media indicate that internet connection in at least several cities in Khuzestan Province remains cut off or is slow. In messages from the “1500 Tasvir” account, reference is made to the cities of Masjed Soleyman, Izeh, and Mahshahr.

Because official and public media in Iran do not cover such news or are prevented from covering it, Radio Farda is unable to independently verify these reports and accounts.

The civil activist from Farsan, whose name has not been disclosed, told the “Emtedad” news and analytical site that public protests in Farsan began in the evening of May 13 in the city center and within minutes, police and special forces units clashed with protesters at the gathering site.

According to this eyewitness, the protests escalated “from tear gas fired by security forces to direct gunfire,” and “one protester who was shot in the head is currently in a coma in intensive care.”

Protest gatherings in the Babaheyder section of Farsan also resulted in the death of one protester, but “to date, the body has not been handed over to the family of the deceased.”

According to this report, several other protesters were shot directly by security personnel in the shoulder or other areas and have been transferred to medical centers due to severe injuries.

This source says there is still no information about the status of detainees in this county.

The Emtedad news site reported this source saying that one day before protests began in the “Jonqan” section, protest gatherings had formed and “one of the Basij centers caught fire,” but received no coverage in government media.

Jonqan in Farsan County has been one of the focal points of protests in recent days. However, government-affiliated or government-sympathetic media have no coverage of public protests, and most local officials and parliamentary representatives either remain silent about these protests or attempt to downplay them.

The spark for recent protests was ignited from mid-May following the official announcement of bread price increases and rationing, and a several-fold increase in food prices in a number of Khuzestan cities, which then spread to other provinces.

The latest videos sent to Radio Farda show that the city of Golpaygan has also joined the protest-affected cities, thus expanding the scope of protests from western provinces to Isfahan Province in the center of the country.

Protesters in these videos chant slogans against the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader and Iran’s President, including “Khamenei is a killer, his rule is void,” “Raisi, show shame, abandon the country,” and also the slogan “Shah Reza, may your spirit rest in peace.”

In recent days, multiple videos have also been released showing injured and even killed citizens by military and shotgun ammunition in various cities.

It remains unclear how many deaths these protests have caused, and only the representative of Dezful city in Khuzestan Province has confirmed the death of one person in that city.

A common point in the suppression of protests in all these cities is the internet shutdown by the government to minimize information dissemination by protesters.

Source: Radio Farda