In the midst of ongoing protests, Iran indicts hundreds for instigating “riots”

Authorities in Iran claim to have indicted hundreds of people in relation to “riots” as demonstrations sparked by the death in detention of a young lady named Mahsa Amini, which began about a month ago, continue in cities all throughout the nation.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Tehran’s prosecutor general, Ali Salehi, claimed on Wednesday that 60 “rioters” in the capital have been indicted. According to the head of the local judiciary, Mojtaba Ghahremani, another 65 indictments have been handed out in the southern province of

Hormozgan and 13 more people have arrest warrants out for them.

The indicted people, about whom no information was revealed, were accused by the authorities of “forming unauthorized gatherings, burning, and violation of a number of government and private facilities,” according to the officials.

The indictments follow Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-earlier Ejei’s order for courts nationwide to expedite the cases of individuals arrested in connection with “riots,” and a top security official’s strong warning to participants last week.

According to Majid Mirahmadi, deputy for security and police affairs at the interior ministry, “Anyone who is arrested at the scene of the riots will not be released under any circumstances until the time of their trial, which will be convened speedily and issue assertive and deterring punishments.”

Authorities have asserted again and time again that the majority of those detained during the rallies that started last month, including students, were released after signing pledges promising not to take part in demonstrations again.

Although Iranian officials have not yet released an official count, it is believed that numerous numbers have died and numerous others have been jailed during the protests.

However, state media have published the names and images of more over 20 people they claim were murdered during the protests, including members of the police, Basij force, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). A meeting or phone call with their families was held by President Ebrahim Raisi and other important officials.

A senior IRGC official stated last week that the average age of many of those arrested was barely 15 years, indicating that many of the demonstrators are Iranian teenagers.

According to some officials, these demonstrators took to the streets as a result of the “excitement” generated by social media and content on foreign-based networks.

Mohseni-Ejei, the head of the judiciary, has asked for “conversation” regarding the unrest in the meanwhile, declaring earlier this week that “certainly if there are mistakes or flaws from our side, we will use opinions communicated to us to repair them as we have no fear of correcting mistakes.”

The government is in favor of hosting “legal gatherings,” according to government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi, who was speaking to reporters on Tuesday. The interior ministry has been tasked with coming up with recommendations on how to put this into practice.

Protests despite limited online access

Officials have stated that harsh internet restrictions, which limit access to Instagram and WhatsApp at specific hours due to “security issues,” will continue as long as the turmoil persists.

Internet traffic on Wednesday saw a “significant disruption,” according to Netblocks, an internet censorship observatory, which would probably “further impede the free flow of information.”

However, despite the delay, social media is still being used by those inside and outside of the nation to convey calls for protests and post videos of the demonstrations.

This week, there were more protests in Sanandaj, the capital of the Kurdistan province where Amini was from, according to accounts by rights organizations and videos posted online.

Attacking the national security

The country’s “riots and insecurity” were being caused by the US and Israel, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed earlier this month in his sole statements regarding the demonstrations.

Authorities have also placed the responsibility on separatist organizations. In recent weeks, the IRGC has attacked Kurdish groups frequently in neighboring Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, claiming to have killed at least 30 “terrorists.”

While the US, Canada, and other European nations have shown support for Iranian demonstrators, Iranian officials continue to decry what they have called “foreign involvement” in domestic matters.

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