ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Drowning in a sea of sorrow mixed with pride, a father broke the news of his son’s death in Iran’s Kurdish city of Oshnavieh (Shno) amid wide anti-government protests in Iranian cities, raising the death toll at the hands of Iranian security forces to at least 16 people in six days.
Milan Haqiqi was among two other protestors who were killed in the city of Oshnavieh as security forces of the Islamic Republic cracked down on demonstrations triggered by the controversial death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini.
“Drowning in a sea of sorrow, amid ultimate oppression and injustice, despite having no authority, I am proud of Milan and all the children of this country that sacrificed their lives for the sake of their land, nation, and their ideology,” Salim Haqiqi, father of the deceased Milan said in a Facebook post early Thursday morning.
Haqiqi was not the only person who lost a member of his family at the hands of Iranian security forces over the past six days.
According to the latest tally by Rudaw, at least 16 people have been killed at the hands of the security forces, fifteen of whom have had their identities confirmed.
The people confirmed dead to Rudaw include Danish Rahnima, Abdullah Mohammadpour, Ramin Abdullahpour, and Farjad Darvishi from Urmia, Sadradin Litani, Amin Mairufi, and Milan Haqiqi from Oshnavieh, Fuad Qadimi and Muhsin Mohammadi from Divandarreh, Muhsin Qaisari from Ilam, Sayid Mohammadi from Shabad, Zakaria Xeyal from Piranshahr, Riza Lutfi from Dehgolan, Faraidoon Mahmoodi from Seqqiz, and Mino Majidi from Kermanshah.
Kermanshah police announced the death of another protestor, however their name is yet to be disclosed.
Head of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights Arsalan Yarahmadi on Thursday also confirmed the death of 16 people since protests broke out in Iran on Friday.
Founder of Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) Rebin Rahmani on Thursday confirmed the death of at least 11 people, adding that they had not been able to confirm the others due to internet outage in Iran and inability to contact their local sources.
“At least 270 people have been wounded and over 450 people have been arrested,” Rahmani added.
Internet connection faced severe restrictions in Iran overnight, with NetBlocks confirming restricted access to Whatsapp and Instagram across the country.
Raha Bahreini, Amnesty International's Iran researcher and lawyer on Thursday warned of the negative impacts restriction on internet would have.
“Cutting internet is always a way to hide the crimes of the security forces that is being used by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Bahreini told Rudaw’s Jaafar Mubasher. “Our analysis shows that due to cutting the internet, not only the connection between Iran and the world is cut, but also many evidences of crimes get lost during those times.”
Exclusive videos submitted to Rudaw English showed large numbers of security forces scattered across cities in the Kurdish regions of Iran, with live ammunition being heard and protestors pushing back the forces. The video below shows security forces cracking down on protestors in the city of Urmia in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province on September 21, 2022.
Thousands of people have flooded the streets of Iran’s Kurdish cities over the past week following the death of Amini.
Video footages sent to Rudaw from the city of Sardasht showed security forces clash with protestors on Wednesday with live ammunition heard in the background.
Live ammunition can be heard in the background as security forces crack down on protesters in the Kurdish city of Sardasht in Iran's West Azerbaijan province on Wednesday
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) September 22, 2022
🎥: Exclusive video submitted to Rudaw pic.twitter.com/cB8IpbnL9A
Amini was arrested by the so-called morality police in Tehran for wearing “improper” hijab and her death has triggered public anger with thousands of people flocking to the streets in protests that spread from Iran’s Kurdish region (Rojhelat) to the rest of the country.
Iranian authorities on Wednesday claimed that one member of the security forces was killed during the riots, while four others have been injured.
The international community has condemned Amini’s death which has engulfed social media platforms.
“Mahsa Amini should be alive today. Instead, the United States and the Iranian people mourn her,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
“The authorities must stop targeting, harassing, and detaining women who do not abide by the hijab rules,” acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif also said in a statement.
Videos of women taking off their headscarves, burning them, and cutting their hair in solidarity with Amini’s death have been circulating on social media.
Shortly after Iran’s 1979 revolution, the hijab was declared compulsory and women who defied the Islamic dress code or refused to strictly follow it were denied their rights. Offenders against Iran’s sharia law and hijab rules often face fines or arrest.
Iran said it launched a probe into the incident.
Additional reporting by Fuad Haghighi
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