Anti-government protests in Iran have entered their fifteenth consecutive day, marking the start of a third week of unrest in Tehran and several other cities, as a nationwide internet shutdown continues and security tensions remain high.
According to Al Jazeera’s correspondent, the scale of demonstrations and clashes in the capital has somewhat decreased compared with previous days. However, the ongoing internet blackout has made it difficult to obtain reliable information about the size and spread of protests in other parts of the country.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported what it described as “limited” protest gatherings in several neighborhoods of Tehran overnight, adding that police forces used tear gas in the Baharestan area of Tehran province to disperse demonstrators.
Tasnim News Agency, for its part, said that 109 members of the security forces and police had been killed in riots and unrest across different regions of the country. In contrast, the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported at least 192 deaths linked to the protests.
In this context, international human rights groups have warned that Iranian authorities may have carried out “extrajudicial killings” during the crackdown on demonstrations that have been ongoing for more than two weeks.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Iranian state television aired footage of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funeral processions for security personnel whom the authorities say were killed during the unrest. Despite the internet shutdown, leaked videos showed large crowds protesting in Tehran on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. An AFP journalist also noted that traffic in the capital was nearly at a standstill.
Reuters, meanwhile, cited a video showing thick columns of smoke rising from fires in one of the streets of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, along with masked protesters and debris scattered across the roadway.
Amid the deteriorating situation, the Iranian government has declared three days of national mourning for those killed in the protests, including members of the security forces, according to state media.
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