Clashes between security services and demonstrators continued this past week. This is now the fourth week of protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, who was being detained by morality police for wearing ‘inappropriate attire. She was only 22 years old and died while in custody in Tehran. While people are understandably upset about the death of such a young person, Amini was of Kurdish descent, which has inflamed tensions further.
It is not believed that the government is really under threat from the protestors. It is however one of the boldest challenges that the Islamic Republic has faced since the revolution of 1979. Some protesters have also gone on strike from their jobs and there are fears that this could affect the energy sector.
The Islamic Republic is undertaking extreme measures to try and suppress the protests. Videos have been posted on social media which show tanks being transported to Kurdish areas. A report has been published by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network suggests that at least 30 people have been killed by the Iranian security services. They also believe that 2000 people have been arrested.
Some countries in the west have drawn up more sanctions for Iran in response to how they have dealt with these protests. France has spoken out against Iran publicly and accused them of taking French citizens hostage. This has increased tensions between Tehran and the European Union.
