The execution of demonstrators who took to the streets of many Iranian cities for several days to protest the death of a 22-year-old Mahsa Aminiasked those who took part in counter-demonstrations organized by the state, according to Reuters.

Those who took part in these counter-demonstrations accused the anti-government demonstrators of being “Israeli soldiers” while, according to footage broadcast live on state television from the scene, they also chanted “death to America” ​​and “Death to Israel” slogans commonly used by the highest clergy of the country to express their support for the authorities.

“Those who insult the Koran must be executed,” the crowd shouted as well.

in IranFor a week now, backlash has been raging over the death of 22-year-old Amini after she was arrested by ethics police for “inappropriate clothing.”

Amini’s death has reignited anger over issues such as limited personal freedoms, a strict dress code for women, and a slumping economy due to sanctions. OUR Iranian military issued its toughest warning on Friday protesters angered by the death, saying that they would “face the enemy”.

The military said that “these actions are part of the enemy’s diabolical strategy to weaken the Islamic regime.” He added that he “will oppose the various conspiracies of the enemies in order to bring security and peace to the people who have been unjustly attacked.”

This was preceded by a statement by the Iranian President on Thursday Ibrahim Raisi, that “acts of chaos” are unacceptable. “There is freedom of speech in Iran… but acts of chaos are unacceptable,” he said.

Information Minister Mahmoud Alavi warned the “rebels” that “their dream of defeating religious values ​​and the great achievements of the revolution will never come true,” according to the AsrIran website. Iran’s clerics fear a resurgence of protests that erupted in 2019 over rising gasoline prices, the deadliest in the history of the Islamic Republic. Reuters reported at the time that 1,500 people had been killed.

In recent days of unrest, protesters in Tehran and other cities have set fire to police stations and cars as anger over Amini’s death continues unabated. Iranian media reported the arrest of 288 people on Thursday, and the crackdown on protests has claimed the lives of 36 people, according to NGOs.

Women play a prominent role in the protests, removing and burning headscarves, and some cut their hair in public.

Arrests of defendants

Iranian security forces arrested one of the the most prominent civil society activists in Iranand one journalistwho played a key role in uncovering the death of a young woman in custody became known to others.

OUR Mazid Tawakoli, who has been repeatedly arrested in recent years, especially since the disputed 2009 presidential election, was arrested last night, his brother Mohsen said on Twitter. Another militant member of civil society, Mr. Hossein Ronaghimanaged to escape from the police, who came to arrest him at his home when he was giving an interview to a TV channel Iran International based in London.

At the same time she was arrested Nilufar Hamedia journalist from Tehran who ended up in the hospital where Amini was in a coma and helped mobilize world public opinion about her fate.

Photojournalist Yalda Moayeri was also arrested while covering protests in Tehran, said Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), who called for the release of all journalists arrested for covering the case.

Death become a spark

Mahsha Amini, originally from the province of Kurdistan, was arrested September 13 in Tehran, where she traveled with her family “because she was wearing inappropriate clothing.”

In Iran, women are required to cover their hair in public. The vice police also ban women from wearing short coats above the knee, tight trousers and ripped jeans, as well as brightly colored clothes, among other things.

Amini fell into a coma after her arrest and died 16 of September at the hospital where he was being treated, state television and family reported. Activists claim that he suffered head injuries while in custody. Iranian police denied the allegations and launched an investigation.

Amini’s death sparked a wave of anger and the most violent protests to take place in Iran since 2019. Most of them were concentrated in the northwestern provinces where the Kurds live, but spread to the capital, as well as at least 50 cities. violence to separate them.