dpa/rtr | Iran’s judiciary has denied statements by US President Donald Trump that the execution of 800 demonstrators had been stopped. “This claim is completely false. Such a figure neither exists nor has the judiciary made such a decision,” state broadcaster quoted Attorney General Mohammed Mowahedi-Asad as saying.
US President Donald Trump is in charge of Iran again warned against executions of government opponents. A US “armada” is on its way to Iran, he said on Thursday on board the presidential plane Air Force One. He gave the government in Tehran one Military strike threatenedif more demonstrators were hanged. The situation is being closely monitored. But he hopes that the USA will not have to use its powerful fleet.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Javad Haj Ali Akbari, an influential cleric who leads Friday prayers in Tehran, mocked the US president. The Republican is a “yellow-faced, yellow-haired and disgraced man” and “like a dog that only barks,” said the cleric, whose words were broadcast by Iranian state radio. In the event of “any damage,” he threatened the United States that “all your interests and bases in the region will become clear and precise targets of the Iranian armed forces.”
The judiciary has brought the first charges
The protests in Iran at the end of December were initially triggered by an economic crisis. However, the demonstrations quickly developed into political uprisings against the authoritarian system of rule of the Islamic Republic. The security apparatus cracked down brutally on the protests and suppressed them. They are now Demonstrations completely silent.
Ten days ago, the Iranian judiciary announced that it had initiated the first charges in connection with the protests. Particularly serious cases of “rioters” would be given priority and treated separately. This also includes the accusation of “waging war against God” – an offense under Islamic law in Iran can be punished with the death penalty.
Human rights groups say thousands of people were killed and scores arrested during the protests, which began in late December and have largely subsided amid intense pressure from security forces. The US-based organization HRANA speaks of more than 5,000 confirmed deaths, and thousands more cases are still being reviewed. In addition, around 26,800 people were arrested, the HRANA report said. According to a government insider in Tehran, at least 5,000 people were killed. These include around 500 members of the security forces.
Iran blames “terrorists” for deaths
The Iranian regime blames Israel and the USA for the many deaths. Their agents are said to have carried out “numerous terrorist acts” in large parts of the country on the nights of January 8th and 9th. In contrast, there are numerous videos that leaked out despite the internet being blocked. They are supposed to show security forces shooting at apparently unarmed demonstrators. Never before in the history of the Islamic Republic so many demonstrators killed in protests.
For more than two weeks, Iran’s population has largely died cut off from the internet. On Thursday and Friday, some users were able to send messages via Messenger again for the first time. Data from IT company Cloudflare continued to show minimal traffic on Iran’s internet on Friday. Residents of the capital Tehran reported by phone about widespread fear of new attacks – be it from Israel or the USA.
Iranian media also criticized the blockade. “Working as a journalist without the internet is like swimming with your hands tied,” said Mehdi Rahmanian, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Shargh. The web portal “Digiato” reacted with derision: “Under these circumstances, we should reintroduce the carrier pigeon system immediately.”
Amnesty: Armed patrols in cities
At an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk accused Iran of “brutal repression” of protests and called for an end to the violence. Children were also among those killed. At the same time, Türk warned of military escalation. “Aggressive rhetoric and threats are extremely counterproductive.” Holding anyone accountable for human rights violations cannot be achieved “through military force from within Iran or from outside,” he said.
Amnesty International also sharply criticized the state repression, saying it was on an “unprecedented scale”. Heavily armed security force units are deployed across the country and have set up a dense network of checkpoints and armed patrols in cities and on highways, a report said.
“By continuing to block the internet, authorities are deliberately isolating over 90 million people from the rest of the world to cover up their crimes and evade responsibility,” said Diana Eltahawy, deputy regional director for the Middle East.