Iran protests escalate as crackdown continues - BBC

People protested successful beforehand of authorities buildings successful a north-west Iranian metropolis aft 1 of the biggest nights yet of demonstrations.

The quality rights radical Hengaw said constabulary changeable dormant a antheral protester successful Mahabad and different successful Sanandaj. The BBC has not verified this.

Widespread unrest has rocked Iran since Kurdish Iranian pistillate Mahsa Amini died successful constabulary custody 40 days ago.

A cemetery adjacent Kharamabad was besides a flashpoint for Thursday's protests.

Demonstrators gathered astatine the cemetery to mourn another young woman, Nika Shakarami, who disappeared soon aft Amini's decease and has go different awesome of the protestation movement.

Videos from Kharamabad showed protesters chanting anti-state slogans including "down with the dictator", a notation to Iran's ultimate leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

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

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

The Islamic Republic of Iran has seen protests before. But not similar this.

The authorities are inactive trying to disregard and discredit them arsenic "rioters influenced by foreigners".

It's hard to quadrate that with bonzer images of teenage schoolgirls rejecting obligatory headscarves, of women of each ages walking bare-headed successful nationalist spaces.

It's hard, too, to spot Iran returning to days wherever alleged morality constabulary tin constabulary women's formal the mode they've done for decades.

This is present astir more, overmuch more, than what women wear.

In the past, large uprisings person fizzled out, oregon were forcibly suppressed, aft months of unrest. But, with each week, this question seems to strengthen.

The afloat unit of Iran's information apparatus has yet to beryllium unleashed. The authorities volition bash immoderate it takes to sphere the Islamic Republic.

But Iran's protesters, particularly a caller procreation of women and men, besides look acceptable to bash immoderate it takes to alteration their lives, and overmuch more.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights says astatine slightest 234 protesters, including 29 children, person been killed by information forces successful crackdowns truthful far. 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.

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 to people 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]," a 27-year-old pistillate protester 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.