Report on the Sixteenth Day of Nationwide Protests in Iran

Hrana News Agency – The protests known as the “Mehr Month Protests” began on September 26 following the death of 22-year-old Masha (Zhina) Amini as a result of the actions of the Morality Police in Tehran and continue to this day. Protesting citizens also staged gatherings in several cities and universities across the country today. By the time of this report’s preparation, 103 cities from 31 provinces along with 48 universities across the country have staged a total of 289 large-scale protests over the past 16 days.

According to Hrana, the news agency of the Iranian human rights activists collective, the nationwide protests in Iran continued today, Sunday, October 1, 2022 (Mehr 10, 1401).

Today, Sunday, October 1, marking the sixteenth day of the protests, citizens in cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Bushehr and numerous students from Kharazmi Institute of Technology, Azad University of Najaf Abad, University of Tehran, Razi University of Kermanshah, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, University of Medical Sciences Kurdistan – Sanandaj, Sharif University of Technology, University of Science and Culture Tehran, University of Isfahan, Azad University of Shahreqods in Tehran, Tehran University of Art, Shahid Bahonar University – Kerman, Azad University of Islamshahr, University of Science and Industry, Shahid Beheshti University, University of Mazandaran – Babol, University of Shiraz, Tarbiat Modares University, Allameh Tabatabai University, Azad University of Sohanak, University of Yazd, Azad University of Tehran (Science and Research Branch), Kharazmi University of Tehran and Shahid Chamran University – Ahvaz, despite intense security atmosphere and heavy presence of special guard forces, staged protest gatherings.

The peaceful protests of students at several universities escalated to violence in the presence of security forces. It is reported that a large number of protesting students were arrested by law enforcement and security forces.

Simultaneously, videos of tear gas being thrown into the campus of Isfahan University and violent suppression of protesting students were circulated on social networks.

The National Student Union reported that several students from University of Tehran were detained in the physical security building of university security (adjacent to the lower entrance of December 16), stating: “These students were previously arrested by security forces on university grounds.”

Also, based on images released from Sharif University of Technology, today law enforcement and security forces fired rubber bullets, injuring several students.

Protesting students at these gatherings chanted slogans including “Students are awake,” “Death to the dictator,” “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, we are all together,” “Turn sorrow into protest, it has become a revolution,” “Freedom, freedom, freedom,” “Woman, life, freedom,” “Shame on us, shame on us, shame on the Basij,” “Imprisoned student must be freed,” “We don’t want security universities.”

Slogans against the government and its leader were continuously heard at student and urban gatherings.

Today, some merchants and shopkeepers in the cities of Isfahan and Piranshahr went on strike to protest by closing their businesses.

Meanwhile, the hashtag #Masha_Amini on Twitter became an unprecedented global record, retweeted and tweeted over 200 million times.

On the other hand, today Amjad Amini, Masha Amini’s father, in an interview with the 24 Event, said that no one is answering his questions about the cause of his daughter’s death and that his visits to the medical examiner have resulted in “running around in circles.”

Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer for Masha Amini’s family, also stated: “In my opinion and that of credible physicians, Masha was certainly struck before arriving at the guidance patrol center. Furthermore, after being in detention, the possibility of her being struck is very high.”

On the other hand, the bloody protests on Friday, September 30 in Zahedan, which left many casualties, continue amid a complete internet blackout in the region. Maulavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader in Zahedan, released a video announcing approximately 40 deaths from this incident and criticized the manner in which law enforcement handled the situation.

The Arrested

Accurate information about the number of arrests is still unavailable, but based on estimates and past experiences, the number of arrested is estimated in the thousands.

On the current day, the identities of 31 other citizens and students have been confirmed, including Amir Qazi-zadeh, Babak Hamrang, Reza Ghorbani, Hale Irshaddi in Ardabil, Mohammad Aref Jahangiri in Sanandaj, Salar Taher Afshar in Kermanshah, Ali Hedayati-Vardi, Sara Shamsaei, Alborz Nezami, Hamid Reza Ali-Asgari, Ghasem Khadadadi, Parviz Jangal, Mohammad Hossein Shahi Majd, Ali Daei Naseri, Ali Shurozi, Maedeh Amir Siyafi, Sara Naderi, Hassan Mohammadpanah in Tehran, Zaniar Bagheri in Sanandaj, Javad Ahmadi Yagkani in Khoy, Ali Mohammad Dost-Hoseini in Yazd, Bavan Lotfi in Mahabad, Salar Jahdekarani in Gorgan, Ali Latifi in Arak, Fardin Fathi in Dehgolan, Mohammad Haji Rasool Pour in Boukan, Hiva Valdebeigi, Arman Nagshi, Arvin Khanmaraadi, Mokhtar Sadeghi, Fouad Valdebeigi in Paveh, who have been arrested in recent days, as confirmed by Hrana.

Also, Saman Ghazali, who was previously arrested during the protests, was transferred today from Mahabad Prison to Sepah Intelligence Detention Center in Urmia.

Today, the commander of law enforcement in Kurdistan claimed: “So far, more than 150 people who were arrested during recent unrest have been released on bail.”

Information regarding bulk arrests has also been released that require further review and verification. This includes reports of the arrest of 30 to 40 Sharif University students by security forces.

The prosecutor of Lorestan also announced the arrest of 12 protesting citizens on October 1, while the commander of law enforcement in Gilan announced the arrest of 6 protesting citizens between 14 and 22 years old.

The prosecutor of the Sistan and Baluchestan provincial center said regarding the Friday, September 30 protests: “So far, 8 citizens have been arrested.”

On the other hand, the director of the presidency and public relations office of Allameh Tabatabai University announced the release of 9 detained students, and the president of University of Tehran claimed: “Students who were arrested following the events of Saturday, October 1 have been released today, Sunday.”

Hrana previously released a detailed list of individuals arrested during recent protests in various cities across Iran. To view this list, please refer to this link.

Deaths and Injuries:

The use of excessive force by special units or use of lethal weapons has resulted in the deaths of several citizens.

For more detailed information regarding violence and injuries during the first seven days of protests, please refer to this link.

Today, information was released regarding the deaths of two unidentified children, Ismail Hossein-Zahi, Amir-Hossein Mirkazi, one unidentified woman, an unidentified member of the Gongoze-ye Rigi family, Vahid Hoot, Mohsen Gomsha-Dezhi, Omran Hasanzahi, Amin Galeh-Bache, Omid (unidentified last name), Hamid Isa-Zahi, Ali-Akbar Halgheh-Begosh, Nematollah Kobdani, Omer Shahnvazi, Abdur-Rahman Baloch-Khah, Amin-Allah Goljayee, Musa Nehtani (Ansheeni), Lal-Mohammad Ali-Zahi, Bilal Ansheeni, Lal-Mohammad Ansheeni, Salah-Din Gomshadzahi, all in Zahedan, as released by Halesh News Agency and the Baluch Activists Campaign. Hrana also received identity information regarding Pouya Sheida in Urmia and Amir-Hossein Basati in Kermanshah.

Local sources, including the Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, reported the deaths of at least 40 citizens and injuries to dozens during the Friday, September 30 protests in Zahedan.

On the other hand, the governor of Kurdistan announced the death of 4 citizens in the province’s protests.

Hrana has so far identified over 150 citizens who have died during the recent protests, and the accuracy of many of them has been independently verified and confirmed by this news agency.

News outlets affiliated with security institutions also reported the deaths of Ali Bek, a Sepah member in Zahedan, Mehdi Zahid Lovei, a Basij member in Qom, Mojtaba Amiri-Doumari, a Basij member in Qeshm, and Davud Abdollahi, commander of emergency rescue in Marivan.

Hrana previously released a detailed list of individuals reportedly killed in recent protests. To view this list and details, please refer to this link.

Communication Disruption

Internet and mobile network disruptions have been observed since the early days of recent protests. Since September 29, communication cuts and disruptions, particularly in Kurdistan and other protest centers, have reached their peak. Mobile networks including Hamrah-e Aval, Irancel, and RighTel have experienced deliberate disruptions.

Since the start of nationwide protests, Instagram, WhatsApp, Skype, App Store, Viber, Google Play, Clash of Clans, Starlink, LinkedIn, and Discord have been filtered.

Also, today, Sunday, October 1, the Ministry of Communications released a statement stating: “No order has been issued to lift WhatsApp filtering.”

The Tehran E-commerce Association, in response to the filtering and internet restrictions implemented in Iran in recent days, issued a statement criticizing these conditions and announced: “The blocking of Instagram access in Iran has put over 400,000 businesses at risk of destruction and over one million people’s livelihoods in serious jeopardy.”

For more details regarding communication disruptions and internet outages during the first seven days of protests, please refer to this link.

Reactions

Following the arrest and death of Ms. Amini and the subsequent beginning and continuation of protests against this event, many political figures and activists, artists, and Iranian and international personalities did not remain silent in the face of this flood of events.

Among the latest reactions to the ongoing protests, the following can be mentioned:

Maulana Abdulghafar Naqshbandi, the interim Friday prayer leader of Rask city, in a released statement, called the death of a number of defenseless worshippers at Mecca Mosque in Zahedan by military personnel “a discriminatory action and the promotion of 43 years of hatred against Baluch and Baluchestan among military forces” and announced: “I tell all military personnel to end these merciless killings before control slips from everyone’s hands and the situation reaches an irreversible point.”

Ellen DeGeneres, the host and producer of the Ellen Show comedy program in America, handed over her Instagram page with over 128 million followers to Nazanin Noor, an Iranian-American writer and actress, for 24 hours to support the recent protests in Iran by publishing relevant content.

Outside Iran, some cultural and sports figures, including Gianluigi Buffon, former Juventus and Italian national team goalkeeper, Bryan Adams, Canadian musician and singer, Claire Danes, American actress, and British rock band Coldplay, expressed their support for the recent protests in Iran by publishing relevant content.

Furthermore, “Team Foo,” a Canadian artist and architect, inspired by the bravery of Iranian women, designed a sculpture for a square in a “post-Islamic Republic Iran.” Also, Emily Shridder, writer, singer, and women’s rights activist, re-recorded “For” by Shervin Hajipour. She published a video on her personal page expressing support for the nationwide protests of the Iranian people.

Over 400 writers, poets, university professors, journalists, and translators inside and outside Iran expressed support for the nationwide protests and strikes. They called on leaders and groups such as teachers, workers, lawyers, and cultural and artistic figures to encourage public opinion toward “civil disobedience, strikes, and their organization.”

Also, a group of students from University of Tabriz issued a statement protesting the arrests and violent conduct of law enforcement against the civil and freedom-seeking protests of University of Tabriz students on September 30, 1401, and refrained from attending classes.

Shokufeh Safaei, a female volleyball player for Iran’s national team, posted a story on her personal page stating: “For our dreams that were destroyed because of rotten brains.” Also, Shoja Khalilzadeh, defender of Iran’s national football team, posted the video of “For…” by Shervin Hajipour on his personal page, writing: “For you who are an artist and sing, for the distress of your peers and countrymen, for the sense of peace you gave, for you who are innocent, for Shervin, for Masha Amini, for Hossein Mahini, woman_life_freedom.”

Babak Takhti, son of Gholamreza Takhti, published a text on his personal page protesting the use of his father’s name in a government clip on IRIB, writing: “Shame on you for this dishonor. Takhti had nothing to do with you. He bore no resemblance to your merciless but rotten regime. At a time when the beautiful and brave children of this country are bleeding and dying, using Takhti’s name, whose entire life and existence was love for them, is the ultimate dishonor and depravity.”

Mohsen Foroozan, footballer, Gholamreza Mohammadi, freelancer and former coach of Iran’s national wrestling team, Bahar Molaei, former national weightlifting champion, Najmeh Abtine, former Iranian national Olympic archer, Ehsan Rouzbehan, Olympic boxer, Parisa Farshidi, former Iranian national taekwondo champion, Yegane Khalili, Iranian legionnaire for Elysia team, Popak Basami, Iranian national female weightlifter, are among other Iranian athletes who reacted to Iran’s events today through posting on their personal pages or giving interviews to news agencies.

Moreover, Mina Deris, a Khuzestan singer, removed her mandatory hijab on her personal page in support of the nationwide protests in Iran.

Among artists, Bahram Bayazi, worker and playwright, Payam Dehkord, theater actor and director, Brizo Arjmand, actor, and his wife Parmis Zand expressed their support for Iran’s protests by posting content. Also, Baran Kosari posted a video on her personal page about the Niagara Falls illumination in the colors of the Iranian flag, inviting her followers to “enjoy nature for the last post,” but hours after posting this text, her personal page became inaccessible.

Against the Protesters

Today during an open session of parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating that “In recent events, the first issue is the reason and manner of Ms. Amini’s death,” said: “The matter should be investigated and results announced, and any misconduct should be dealt with without any leniency.” He continued: “Security officials of the country must powerfully deal with all those who undermine the security of the people, and there should be no tolerance in this matter.” He also announced: “Creating unrest in the streets and anti-security behavior undermines social cohesion, endangers the people’s economy.”

233 members of parliament issued a statement calling for severe punishment for the protesters.

Yesterday, the heads of the three branches of the Islamic Republic held talks at the Iranian presidency regarding the recent two weeks of protests. During this meeting, they thanked the government agencies for their role in “countering rioting.” The heads of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches also emphasized the necessity of identifying and explaining the conspiracies of Iran’s enemies and opponents of the Islamic Revolution by media and intellectuals, and thanked the honorable people of our country who, with insight, timeliness, and intelligent boundary-setting, have so far thwarted the complex and multi-layered plans of enemies to create crises in the country.

Also, the Sepah Intelligence Organization released a message stating: “Undoubtedly, the honorable children of the Islamic Iranian nation, like before, will take revenge for the pure blood of the oppressed martyrs of the Black Friday in Zahedan from the enemies and will not leave the cowardly attacks of armed opposition, villains, and troublemakers unanswered, and by God’s grace, they will end the table of the blind and malicious actions of enemies.”

Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Sepah, in response to recent public protests following the death of Masha Amini, said: “They want to deceive our children and take them to the streets. This is the enemy’s latest tactic, and they want us to only write dictation for them as before, but we can do everything except write dictation.”

Hossein Mirzai, a member of the parliamentary Cultural Committee, stating that shooting at universities was the work of “counter-revolutionaries,” claimed: “Iranian security forces did not have firearms with them,” saying: “If anyone has documents and evidence that our armed forces fired, send the documents so we can investigate. There were absolutely no firearms in the orders of the forces dealing with this. They absolutely had no firearms.”

Today, Ismail Khatib, Minister of Intelligence, linked the death of some Sepah members in Zahedan to terrorist groups affiliated with “global arrogance” and said: “They should know that they will face the consequences of their shameful acts and the turmoil, riots, and murders of innocent people, and the guardians of the Islamic Revolution will give a decisive response to the crimes of their mercenaries.” It should be noted that Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Sepah, had previously stated that the military has put taking “revenge for the blood” of his personnel on its agenda.

Ezzatollah Zarghami, Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran, called the reason for the internet shutdown “for the security of the people” and claimed that “according to security requirements, internet capacities have been limited and this is a security decision and these platforms have been abused by some riot-provoking groups.”

Seyyed Mohammad Nabi Mousavi-Fard, representative of Khuzestan, also claimed: “It’s not just about the hijab issue; the enemies thought the Islamic Revolution would retreat from this matter, but this will definitely not happen.”

Today, Fars News Agency regarding the gatherings of Shiraz University students claimed: “This morning, a number of Shiraz University students at the entrance of the Eram campus of this university chanted slogans such as (Man, homeland, prosperity), (Woman, life, freedom) and sang an anthem together, and after a few minutes, the students left the gathering and attended classes, and the gathering ended.”

Source: Hrana