CbsNews
Iran has deployed mounted police in a bid to contain more than seven weeks of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, according to videos posted online. The clerical state has been rocked by a protest movement that erupted when Amini, 22, died after her arrest for allegedly breaking Iran’s strict hijab dress rules for women.
Young women have led the way, removing and burning their head coverings, chanting anti-regime slogans and confronting security forces on the street despite a crackdown that has killed more than 300 people, according to Norway based monitoring group.
In a rare move, the authorities have deployed a posse of police on horseback in Tehran’s streets to stifle the demonstrations, according to a video posted on social media and verified by AFP. The special unit is seen standing in front of a row of Iranian national flags on a major road in the northwest Tehran neighborhood of Sadeghiyeh.
READ MORE
- Children among 10 feared dead in Iran crackdown, Amnesty says
- Iran to hold public trials of 1,000 people charged with involvement in Mahsa Amini protests
Created in 2013, the mounted division of Iran’s police force — known as Asvaran — has been seen on the streets of the Iranian capital in the past, mainly during parades, but it is uncommon to see it deployed during protests.
Amini, an Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on September 16, three days after she was arrested in Tehran by the morality police, igniting nationwide protests.
The Iranian government has used a variety of methods to put an end to the protests, which it refers to as “riots.”
Security personnel have fired live ammunition, bird shot, tear gas, and even paintballs directly at protesters. Along with restricting access to websites like Instagram and WhatsApp, the government has also launched a campaign of widespread arrests.
Since the nationwide protests began in mid-September, the security forces have killed at least 304 people, including 41 children and 24 women, according to the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources inside Iran.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the group’s director, claimed in the statement that despite the significant number of fatalities, “Iranians are still protesting and are more determined than ever to make significant changes. More violence is the Islamic Republic’s response.”
He called on the international community to pressure Iran to end the crackdown on the protesters.
Hundreds of people have been swept up in the wave of arrests, including protesters, journalists and activists.
On Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary said more than 1,000 people had been formally indicted over their role in the protests, and a spokesman vowed to deal with them severely.
“Now, the public, even protesters who are not supportive of riots, demand from the judiciary and security institutions to deal with the few people who have caused disturbances in a firm, deterrent and legal manner,” judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said, according to the Reuters news agency.
Among the latest members of Iran’s beleaguered civil society to face charges were two female journalists accused of propaganda against the state.
Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who have both been behind bars for than a month already, “have been remanded in custody for propaganda against the system and conspiring against national security,” Setayeshi said on Tuesday.
Hamedi, 30, a journalist for the reformist Shargh newspaper, was arrested on September 20 after she visited the hospital where Amini spent three days in a coma before her death.
Mohammadi, 35, a reporter for the Ham Mihan newspaper, was arrested on September 29 after she travelled to Amini’s hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province to cover her funeral.
DON’T MISS
- Man convicted of raping girl, 11, in case that led to change in French law
- Iran says it supplied drones to Russia before Ukraine war began
- Spain cannabis: Police claim largest ever seizure
