Death toll of Iran protests exceeds 220 following deadly crackdowns
Published by Ali on November 22, 2019
International Liberty Association: The Iranian officials have threatened the Iranian protesters with harsh crackdown as protests over fuel price hike going widespread across Iran since Friday.
Meanwhile, the state forces have launched a crackdown with at least 220 people dead, thousands arrested, and the Internet shut down across most of the country.
The supreme leader Ali Khamenei personally weighed in Sunday November 17, and called the Iranian protesters, “hooligans,” giving a green light to the security forces for killing of protesters in Iran. He instructed “officials in charge of maintaining security” to “carry out their line of duties.”
Following Khamemei’s televised remarks, other officials have issued statements calling on security forces to use every mean to crush the Iranian protesters.
“If necessary, we will take decisive and revolutionary action against any continued moves to disturb the people’s peace and security,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by state media.
ILA reports that, in a press conference on Tuesday Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili claimed that individuals who have sent videos of the recent protests to “foreign and hostile networks” have been identified and will be punished.
In his press conference Esmaeili also said that the Judiciary will adopt a “punitive policy” against those who endanger citizen’s safety and loot or destroy public property,” Mizan Online, the Judiciary’s official news website reported.
Esmaeili claimed there are individuals with affiliations to foreign powers, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) among the arrested protesters. He called on the public to separate their ranks from “rioters” and to report them to the security and intelligence bodies, the law enforcement, and the Judiciary.
IRGC commander
According to the IRGC affiliated News Agency, Tasnin, Yadollah Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC in Tehran’s Baharestan County said “a large number” of the leaders of the protests had been arrested adding that the arrests were ongoing.
“We will not allow those who disrupt security in the society to have peace and will decisively pull out the rioters and seditionists from their hiding places with the information that we have,” he said today adding that they would be severely punished.
“With an iron fist, the Bassi and the IRGC will not allow anyone to be greedy and will break the hands of rioters and seditionists,” the IRGC commander threatened.
“We will give them a lesson they will not forget until the end of their lives.”
The enemies of the Islamic Revolution inside and outside of the country will not know peace,” Soleimani added.
