Iran Intensifies Crackdown Over Nationwide Outcry, Killing At Least 2; Anti-Government Protesters Say They're 'No Longer Afraid'

Iranian security forces fired at protestors and sprayed tear gas in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Saqez on Saturday as weeks of demonstrations continue to steam up across the country.

The Iranian human rights group Hengaw reports that security agents shot and killed a motorist in Sanandaj and that two instructors suffered injuries in a school in Saqqez.

Hengaw said that IRGC security agents fatally shot another demonstrator in the stomach.

Students in Sanandaj and Saqqez reportedly initiated protests. Azhin Sheikhi of Hengaw reported on Saturday that government soldiers had attacked a school in Saqqez, per CNN.

Hengaw said that widespread attacks were happening in the cities of Saqez, Diwandareh, Mahabad, and Sanandaj.

Protests broke out three weeks ago after an Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the Iran morality police. Since then, the Norway-based Hengaw human rights group has been monitoring human rights breaches in Iran's Kurdish area.

Meanwhile, protests continued in other locations across the country on Saturday, including Tehran, Karaj, Esfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Rasht.

One huge banner hung on an overpass in Tehran, Iran's capital, reads: "We are no longer afraid. We will fight."

While this was going on, multiple attacks hit Kurdish cities in western Iran and Mahabad in West Azerbaijan, and security forces were reportedly firing on protesters in the city of Sanandaj.

Student Demonstrations Start the School Year

Euronews reported that young ladies in Amini's village of Saqez conducted protests on Saturday on the first day of the Iranian school year, where they removed their hijabs as they cried: "women, life, freedom."

According to IranWire, college and university students around Iran have also skipped classes to join the demonstrations.

This week, security forces in Tehran brutally encircled Sharif University, and tear gas was deployed to disperse protesters in the area.

There is tremendous public outrage about the government's Islamist policies, including the mandatory headscarf for women, the floundering economy hit hard by restrictions, and the violent response to demonstrators.

According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), at least 154 people, including children, have been murdered since statewide protests began, while the actual death toll is likely considerably higher. Authorities have arrested thousands.

Last week, IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said that the deaths of protesters in Iran "amount to a crime against humanity," and he called on the international community to avoid similar atrocities.

Iranian security forces reportedly used more than just rubber bullets and batons against protesters.

Iran's ultraconservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, has placed blame for the upheaval on foreign powers, most notably the United States, while other authorities have urged the security forces to put an end to the demonstrations.

As the fourth week of widespread anti-regime rallies began on Saturday, hackers disrupted the flagship news program of an Iranian official broadcaster.

Hackers Disrupt Iranian Supreme Leader Broadcast

In other related news, after airing an interview with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the television program suddenly shifted to a screen showing images of dead protesters, many of them young women and girls, The Times of Israel reported.

The 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was included in one of the pictures, whose alleged murder sparked a violent protest against the government.

During the period of interruption, a message was flashed on the screen: "The blood of our youths is on your hands" and a call for Iranians to join the anti-government demonstrations.

Edalat-e Ali, a hacker organization, proclaimed responsibility for the outage. According to Iran International, the organization breached the website of Iran's public broadcaster early this year and uploaded an opposition message there.

Tags

Iran, Ayatollah ali khamenei, Women's rights