Iran protests escalate as crackdown continues

Iran has seen 1 of the biggest nights of protests since anti-government demonstrations erupted six weeks ago.

Tens of thousands of radical took to the streets successful each large cities, arsenic good arsenic different places wherever demonstrations had subsided recently.

The escalation came aft protesters marked 40 days since the decease of a Kurdish Iranian pistillate successful constabulary custody which sparked the unrest.

It is the astir superior situation to the Islamic republic since its inception.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights says astatine slightest 234 protesters, including 29 children, person been killed by information forces successful a crackdown. Iran's leaders person portrayed the unrest arsenic "riots" fomented by foreigners.

Footage posted connected societal media and verified by the BBC amusement wide protests connected Wednesday night.

In the capital, Tehran, fires were lit successful the street, portion hundreds marched down a main roadworthy chanting slogans including "Death to the dictator", a notation to Iran's ultimate person and which has go a communal refrain.

Other cities, specified arsenic Andimeshk and Borujerd successful the west, and Lahijan, adjacent the Caspian Sea successful the north, besides saw a resurgence of protests.

Thousands had gathered adjacent her marking 40 days since her death. A rights radical and witnesses said officers fired unrecorded rounds and teardrop state astatine the crowds successful the city. Numbers of casualties are not known.

"The nine is precise angry. We had capable of them [Iranian leadership]," 27-year-old protester, Mahsa, successful Karaj, adjacent to Tehran, told BBC Persian.

"I privation to person the close to accidental nary to these people. I'm bushed of being a second-class citizen. Because I americium a woman. Men are bushed of the intimidations by the regime. This is the archetypal clip successful the past of our state that we basal unneurotic for a extremity which is woman, beingness and freedom."

Protests swept crossed Iran aft Ms Amini, 22, died connected 16 September.

She had been detained 3 days earlier by the morality constabulary successful Tehran and fell into a coma aft collapsing astatine a detention centre.

There were reports that officers bushed her with a baton and banged her caput against a vehicle, but constabulary denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered a bosom attack.

The BBC and different autarkic media are banned from reporting from wrong Iran, making authorities media and different reports hard to verify. Authorities person besides heavy disrupted the internet, hampering the quality of protesters to station connected societal media.