By Parisa Hafezi
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday the death of a young woman in police custody “saddens” everyone in the Islamic Republic, but warned that “chaos” will not be accepted amid violent protests by the Islamic Republic. death of Mahsa Amini.
Amini’s death two weeks ago sparked anti-government protests across Iran, with protesters often calling for an end to more than four decades of the Islamic clerical establishment in power.
“We are all saddened by this tragic incident… (However) the chaos is unacceptable,” Raisi said in an interview with state TV channel, as protests continued across the country.
“The government’s red line is the security of our people… People cannot be allowed to disturb the peace of society through riots.”
Despite a growing death toll and a fierce crackdown by security forces using tear gas, batons and, in some cases, live ammunition, social media videos showed Iranians persisting in protests, chanting “Death to the Dictator”.
Still, a collapse of the Islamic Republic looks remote in the short term, as its leaders are determined not to show the kind of weakness they believe sealed the US-backed shah’s fate in 1979, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. .
Angry demonstrations have spread to more than 80 cities across the country since the death of 22-year-old Amini on Sept. attire of the Islamic Republic.
Amini, who was from the northwestern Kurdish town of Saqez, died in hospital after slipping into a coma, triggering the first major demonstration of dissent on the streets of Iran since authorities quelled protests against rising gasoline prices in Iran. 2019
Raisi, who ordered an investigation into Amini’s death, said “forensics will report on her death in the coming days.”
State media said 41 people, including members of the police and a pro-government militia, died during the protests. Iranian human rights groups reported a higher number.
Dozens of Iranian celebrities, football players and artists – inside and outside the country – supported the demonstrations. Iran’s hard-line judiciary has said it will press charges against them, according to state media.
Tehran has accused the United States and some European countries of using the unrest to try to destabilize the Islamic Republic.
((Translation by the São Paulo Newsroom))
REUTERS PB
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