Fifth Iranian paramilitary member murdered as president warns protesters

• After days of widespread unrest, a fifth member of an Iranian volunteer paramilitary group was killed on Sunday
• Other Basij members have been killed in Qazvin, Tabriz, Mashhad, and Qouchan.
• The Basij is a paramilitary group affiliated with the potent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

After days of widespread unrest, a fifth member of an Iranian volunteer paramilitary group was killed on Sunday after engaging in combat with what the state-run media referred to as “rioters and thugs.” President Ebrahim Raisi of the nation issued a warning that protesters would be dealt with “decisively.”

According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, the victim passed away as a result of injuries sustained on Thursday in Urmia, northwest Iran. Other Basij members have been killed in Qazvin, Tabriz, Mashhad, and Qouchan. The Basij is a paramilitary group affiliated with the potent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman held by morality police on September 13 on suspicion of breaking the nation’s conservative dress code, died as a result of the protests, which were started in her honor.

Despite statements made by state-run news outlets that pro-government rallies had put a stop to the protests, hundreds of anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Tehran and numerous other provincial towns as night fell on Sunday.

The security forces’ response, demonstrators’ arrests, and internet outages did not stop the protesters from organizing themselves. In order to express their outrage at the Basij militias, protesters screamed anti-government and anti-Supreme Leader slogans as well as “death to a tyrant.”

At least 40 towns around the country, including the capital Tehran, have witnessed protests since last Friday, with demonstrators calling for an end to violence and discrimination against women as well as the requirement to wear the hijab.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the country’s official media agency, reported late on Friday that at least 35 people have perished in recent protests in Iran over the death of Amini.

Previously, Amnesty International reported that 30 persons had passed away. A specific number cannot be independently confirmed by anybody outside of the Iranian government, and various estimates have been made by opposition parties, international human rights organizations, and local journalists. CNN is unable to directly confirm the death toll.

According to a security official quoted in a report on Saturday by the Iranian state-backed news agency Tasmin, at least 1,200 people have been detained in connection with the wave of protests. The IRGC has called for the police to “defend the security of the nation” and accused the protesters of “rioting” and “vandalism.”

According to a report from the non-profit organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which keeps track of press freedom, at least 17 journalists have been detained in Iran as anti-state demonstrations expand around the nation.

Internet access will be limited in Iran, according to the government, until the order is restored on the streets. According to the country’s semi-official news source Fars News, the IRGC, the elite branch of the Iranian military that was founded in the years following the 1979 revolution, has urged everyone to identify demonstrators.

Thousands of Iranians joined pro-government protests on Sunday in numerous Iranian towns to denounce the recent violence, according to state news IRNA.

To express their “unity and outrage over the recent acts of sabotage perpetrated by rioters,” people took to the streets in numerous cities and towns, including the holy city of Mashhad, the northwestern city of Qazvin, the central city of Esfahan, as well as the western cities of Hamedan and Yasuj, according to state news.

The protesters “condemned the crimes and terrible acts performed by a small group of mercenaries supporting foreign foes, who set fire to the Holy Qur’an, mosques, and the national flags and forcibly removed women’s headscarves on the streets,” according to Press TV.

Also Read

Putin’s tactical nuclear weapons power is the same as atomic bombs

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons once more....