Protests in Iran over a spike in oil prices, which started seven days ago, have left at least 106 people dead, according to Amnesty International. That figure is likely to increase substantially in the coming days as more information is collected.
Online services across the country were badly affected during the protests, with internet blackouts being reported. Iranians around the world took to social media to condemn the Islamic Republic’s attempts at stifling protesters’ concerns, which are at their core about corruption and government mismanagement inside the country, through the use of violence and blocking internet access.
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency said the internet had been restored in Hormozgan province on Thursday, which had seen an intense spate of protests. The internet was also reconnected in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and several other provinces.
Responding to the internet shut-down, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, for failing to sustain internet connectivity during the protests.
An EU spokesperson on the developments in Iran said Europe conveyed its condolences to the families of those injured in the demonstrations and added that, “Socio-economic challenges should be addressed through inclusive dialogue and not through the use of violence.”
The United Nations also expressed concern over the death toll.
The Iranian government later claimed that officials had contained the unrest, and that the protests were the work of external opposition groups and foreign actors.
Finally, the U.N.’s most senior nuclear watchdog confirmed that it would travel to Iran next week to question Iranian officials about the traces of uranium found at an undeclared site. The site was exposed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year.
- A member of the Majlis (Iranian Parliament), has accused the Iranian oil ministry of massive corruption.
→ Link to source
- Reports from a Telegram app account used by the Students Union in Iran claim that ambulances filled with security officers sneaked into universities and arrested student protesters.
→ Link to source
- An Iranian politician has claimed that polygamy, which is legal in Iran, stems prostitution, and boosts marriage.
→Link to source.
- Most people who commit suicide in Iran are between the ages of 15 and 35 – Iranian authorities want to instal suicide barriers at a landmark bridge in Tehran.
→ Link to source.
