Iranian Writers' Association: People's protests are the result of an explosion of public anger against the Islamic Republic

Condemning the killing of the Zahedan protesters and the suppression of public and student protests, the Iranian Writers' Association called the "Iranian people's freedom movement" the result of an explosion of public anger over the "destruction of citizens' lives during the four decades of Islamic Republic rule."

In a statement released on Thursday, the Iranian Writers' Association said, referring to the Islamic Republic's confrontation with popular protests: "The government has resorted to repression as always; it has killed many, kidnapped many, tortured many, and imprisoned many. However, the people have not backed down and have made their voices of protest heard by the world in every possible way."

The statement from the Writers' Association states, "People who have participated in protest movements of women, workers, teachers, retirees, writers, students, religious, ethnic, gender minorities, etc. in the past few decades to express their demands, and have been suppressed each time, have now realized that the realization of their demands is not possible except through solidarity and collective struggle, as well as the achievement of freedom of expression, the blatant and daily violation of which has been the basis for all kinds of government repression in the last four decades."

The Writers' Association says that calling "the people who have come to life" "rioters" and attributing their protests to foreign countries is a blatant lie and a blatant excuse for the government's continued criminality.

The center has emphasized that the Islamic Republic government is using such excuses to "break the university's boundaries and open its doors to law enforcement and security forces and plainclothes officers" "to silence the voices of protesting students and kidnap hundreds of them" and "to have an excuse to massacre people in Zahedan."

The Iranian Writers' Association, by condemning the "massacre of the people of Zahedan," has considered "Black Friday in Zahedan and the entry of security forces into the university grounds" to be two sides of the coin of the Islamic Republic's policy of organized discrimination and repression.

Protests over the death of Mahsa (Zina) Amini have entered their third week in various cities in Iran. During this time, the armed and security forces of the Islamic Republic have attempted to suppress anti-government demonstrations “widely” with “lethal force.” Reports from human rights organizations indicate that dozens of people have been killed in these protests so far.

Official figures on the number of victims of the recent protests in Zahedan have not yet been released. However, Amnesty International released a report on Thursday stating that at least 82 Baloch protesters and ordinary people were killed in the city's street protests.

The human rights group says Iranian security forces unlawfully killed at least 66 people, including children, and injured hundreds during a violent crackdown after Friday prayers in Zahedan on Friday, firing bullets and tear gas at protesters, spectators, and worshippers. Since then, 16 more people have been killed in separate incidents in Zahedan amid an ongoing crackdown on protests.

Source: Radio Farda