Verified social media reports showed that protests erupted in Iran for an eighth straight night on Friday in response to the murder of a young woman who was detained by morality police, hours after authorities had called for counter-demonstrations.
An organisation with its headquarters in Oslo called Iran Human Rights said that at least 50 people had been killed by security forces during the anti-government demonstrations, which is more than three times the official death toll of 17, which includes five security officers.
The street violence, which according to IHR has spread to 80 towns and cities, began with the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd who had reportedly spent three days in a coma after being arrested by Tehran’s morality police.
After hours of government-sponsored rallies had dispersed, verified video that was shared on social media revealed sizable protester concentrations in various Tehran neighbourhoods. A few of them were confronted by armed militia or anti-riot police.
In an effort to prevent protesters from assembling online and from photographs of the backlash reaching the outside world, Iran has enforced severe regulations on internet usage.
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