During ongoing protests in Iran, a driver who honked his horn in support of the demonstrators was shot dead on Saturday. The police chief denies allegations that he was killed by security forces and blames the demonstrators.
Protesters flee after clashes with police in Iran amid protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody on September 16, days after she was arrested for not wearing her hijab properly.
(dpa)
A motorist was shot in the head during a demonstration in the western Iranian city of Sanandaj. Officials and critics of the country’s leadership gave conflicting information about the incident on Saturday. According to the local police chief, the man was killed by a demonstrator. The protesters’ claims that the driver was shot by security forces were unfounded, the police chief said, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Supporters of the protests said on social media that the man in his car honked his horn as a sign of solidarity with the protests and was therefore shot in the head by police. The security forces acted worse than the terrorist group Islamic State, according to some posts. Pictures of the driver who was killed were also shared on social media.
The system-critical protests that have been going on for weeks following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody continued across the country on Saturday. According to reports by Iranian news agencies, there were violent clashes with the police in several cities, including the capital Tehran. She is said to have not only used tear gas against the demonstrators, but also shot them with paintball ammunition. According to eyewitnesses, the demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at them and set mobile police stations on fire.
Iran blames Iranian opposition groups and “counter-revolutionaries” organized from abroad for the riots. Tehran has also sharply criticized the West for its support for armed rioters and “terror groups”.