Tehran: Iran said that 40 foreign citizens were arrested within two months on charges of involvement in protests in Iran, which has been witnessing since the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, local media reported.
“So far, 40 foreign nationals have been arrested for their involvement in the protests,” the spokesman for the judiciary in Iran, Massoud Staishi said in a press conference on Tuesday, November 22.
As per a report by AFP, he did not elaborate on the nationalities of those detained and gave no other details.
On Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned the United States and the West against supporting riot groups in Iran, stressing that doing so would not serve their interests.
Raisi stated, “Confronting the rioters and punishing them within the framework of the law by the concerned agencies, and protecting citizens and their property from the oppression of terrorists, are everyone’s demand, and they must be implemented quickly.”
In September, nine Europeans from France, Sweden, Italy, Germany among other countries were arrested by the Iranian government for their involvement in the protests.
Protests in Iran continues
Iran has been rocked by sweeping protests since September 16, over the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
Mahsa Amini death led to an escalation of popular anger and sparked protests, the largest in Iran in nearly three years, and a crackdown during which dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds arrested.
The protesters, who are out in demonstrations led by the majority of women, demand answers and an investigation into the cause and manner of Amini’s death, the abolition of the strict veil laws and the dissolution of the morality police that enforce these laws.
Protests in Iran entered their tenth week, on Friday, November18, 2022, and swept through most cities and regions.
The death toll from anti-regime protests in Iran rose on Tuesday to at least 437, including 61 children, some of whom did not exceed eight years of age, according to the HRANA organization of human rights activists in the country. No less than 18,055 demonstrators were arrested in 155 cities.
HRANA also pointed out in a report published on its website that until November 20, protest marches were organized in 142 universities across the country, while the security forces arrested no less than 549 students.
It is noteworthy that the death of Mahsa Amini sparked anger over several issues, including the restrictions imposed on personal freedoms and strict rules related to women’s clothing, as well as the living and economic crisis that Iranians suffer from, not to mention the strict laws imposed by the regime and its political and religious composition in general.
