Iran summons UK, Norway ambassadors amid ongoing unrest

25-09-2022
Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian foreign ministry announced on Sunday that it had summoned the United Kingdom and Norway ambassadors to Tehran, accusing them of interfering in the country’s internal affairs as demonstrations condemning the death of a young girl while in police custody continue.

The controversial death of 22-year-old Mahsa (Zhina) Amini galvanized thousands of young Iranian men and women to the streets as they protest the suspicious circumstances surrounding her passing. The incident has also drawn reactions from the international community, with demonstrations being held across the globe in solidarity with the Iranian protesters.

The Iranian foreign ministry said that the British ambassador was summoned “in response to the hostile atmosphere created by London-based Farsi-Language media,” through their coverage of the ongoing unrest in the country, accusing the media of interfering in Iran’s internal affairs and “acting against the national sovereignty of the country.”

Amini’s death and the mass protests that followed have been widely covered by London-based Farsi-language media such as BBC Persian and Iran International.

The Norwegian ambassador was also summoned, in light of the “prejudicial and unrealistic statements” made by Norway’s president of the parliament, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Iranian-born Masud Gharahkhani, president of Norway’s parliament, has actively spoken against Amini’s death and supported the consequent protests through his platforms on social media.

“I was born in Tehran. Norway is my country. Every single day I am grateful that I live in a country that is built on democracy, freedom, human rights and freedom of expression. These are the same values that young people are fighting for in Iran,” read a tweet from Gharahkhani on Sunday.

According to the latest tally sent to Rudaw English by the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), at least 17 people have been killed, over 400 people wounded, and at least 570 arrested over the past week in Iran’s Kurdish areas (Rojhelat).
 

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