Protests against the government murder of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini continue amidst a brutal crackdown against protestors, which has resulted in an ongoing series of arrests, police brutality and the killing of numerous protesters. The protests entered their 23rd day this past Monday, October 10th.
Protests continued in several cities’ universities, schools, and streets with significant clashes between security forces and protesters.
In Sanandaj, security forces fired at houses in a residential area.
On Monday night, October 10, despite widespread disruptions and outages of the Internet in various cities of Kurdistan province, viral images and videos emerged from the cities of Sanandaj, Saqqez, Marivan, Kermanshah, and Mahabad. The videos depict a concerning level of violence present in the protests as a result of the crackdown on protesters.
Amongst these symbolic images is the viral photo of a girl from Sanandaj who took off her headscarf and stood on a trash bin in the middle of a street in Sanandaj, raising her hands as a sign of victory.
In Sanandaj, security forces had a significant presence and created an environment of terror in different neighbourhoods. Security forces, including special forces and plain clothes (undercover) agents gathered in groups riding motorcycles, resorted to violence to intimidate citizens. These forces destroyed citizens’ and public property in at least two neighbourhoods. They fired tear gas and bullets at the houses, destroying many windows and doors.
Reports from local sources indicate that in the city of Sanandaj, security forces continuously shot at the protesters with war bullets from shotguns and other guns.
By moving in large groups to areas at the centre of the protests, security forces fired sound grenades, creating an atmosphere of terror and intimidation.
A citizen living in Sanandaj sent a video to Zamaneh on Monday night showing the security situation and the government’s intimidation efforts in a complex named Mehr Baharan.
This citizen journalist wrote to Zamaneh:
“Security forces and plain clothes attacked Mehr Baharan residence in Sanandaj at 9 PM tonight with brutality to intimidate people. The special guards shot at the windows with a shotgun or maybe with a combat weapon and threatened people. They also threw tear gas. Children are terrified; you can hear them crying from nearby units. In the last three weeks, especially since Saturday, Sanandaj has been completely militarised and is no different from a battlefield, although the people still resist and continue to protest.”
Sanandaj is the only city that has been protesting non-stop every day and night since the first day of protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini.
During Sunday’s protests, Amnesty International released a video of the cartridges of the bullets used by security forces against the protesters in Sanandaj. Amnesty International warned about the repression of the protesters in Sanandaj:
“The received reports indicate that the security forces used firearms and repeatedly fired tear gas at people’s houses. To hide their crimes, the authorities of the Islamic Republic continue to shut down the Internet and mobile phone networks.”
Protests continued in other Kurdish cities, including Saqqez and Kermanshah. With the tight Internet restriction in Kurdish areas, fewer videos from these areas are being released, including those from the terrifying night on October 10.
On Monday, protests continued in Tehran and other cities, including Shiraz, Maroodasht, Hamadan, and Tabriz.
In addition to protests in universities and different cities, oil workers also joined the strike.
As of October 11, 185 people have been killed in protests, according to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) based in Norway. IHRN says 19 victims are children, and the highest killings having occurred in the Sistan and Baluchistan province, accounting for half of the recorded deaths.
The protests against the government’s murder of Mahsa started on Friday, September 16, after the medical team at Tehran’s Kasra hospital pronounced Mahsa dead, shaping the first protests in front of Kasra hospital in Tehran. Protests continued after Mahsa’s funeral in her hometown of Saqqez when mourners organized a peaceful rally outside the city’s governor’s office. Security forces outside the office responded to protestors with tear gas and opened fire. Now the protest has spread in nearly all of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died after falling into a coma following her detention by morality police enforcing hijab in Tehran.
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