- For the first time, an Iranian general has spoken of many deaths in connection with the ongoing protests in the country.
- General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh spoke of at least 300 dead in a speech, as a video from the online portal Tabnak showed.
- The commander of the aerospace department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards also mentioned “martyrs” – meaning killed security forces and police officers.
“Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” – for more than two months, women and men have been shouting these words on the streets of Iran, fighting for what they stand for: women, life, freedom. But many demonstrators pay with their lives for this freedom.
Legend:
During a protest in the capital Tehran on September 21, demonstrators and the police clash.
Keystone/ STR
So far, human rights activists in particular have documented the number of fatalities in Iran. The US-based organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), for example, estimated that at least 450 demonstrators were killed as a result of the suppression of the protests.
Among them should also be 64 children. In addition, 60 security forces are said to have died.
Foreign countries are to blame
Commander Hajizadeh once again blamed Iran’s enemies for the protests. In addition to the USA, he also named Germany and France. In the past few weeks, the military and politicians have already shifted the blame to other countries. Observers see this as an attempt to distract from the real causes of the protests.
The mass protests against the Islamic Republic system were triggered by the death of the Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in mid-September. She died in police custody after being arrested for breaking Islamic dress codes.