Iran state body reports 200 dead in protests, Raisi hails 'freedoms' - Reuters

DUBAI, Dec 3 (Reuters) - President Ebrahim Raisi connected Saturday hailed Iran's Islamic Republic arsenic a guarantor of rights and freedoms, defending the ruling strategy amid a crackdown connected anti-government protests that the United Nations says has outgo much than 300 lives.

A apical authorities information assemblage meantime said that 200 people, including members of the information forces, had mislaid their lives successful the unrest, a fig importantly little than that fixed by the satellite assemblage and rights groups.

The protests, successful their 3rd month, were ignited by the decease of 22-year-old Kurdish pistillate Mahsa Amini successful the custody of morality constabulary enforcing strict mandatory hijab rules.

The demonstrations person turned into a fashionable revolt by furious Iranians from each layers of society, posing 1 of the boldest challenges to the clerical enactment since the 1979 revolution.

Meanwhile, a societal media video appeared to amusement authorities demolishing the household location of Elnaz Rekabi, a climber who competed successful an planetary contention without a headscarf successful October. Rekabi aboriginal she had done truthful unintentionally, but she was wide assumed to person expressed enactment for the protests. work much

State media connected Saturday quoted the caput of the judiciary successful northwestern Zanjan state arsenic saying the ruling to demolish the villa had been issued 4 months agone arsenic the household had failed to get a operation permit.

Unfazed by the brutal crackdown, protesters person raised slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and repeatedly demanded an extremity to the Islamic government.

Social media videos showed renewed protests precocious connected Saturday successful immoderate parts of the superior Tehran, including the eastbound Haft Howz country wherever protesters could beryllium heard chanting: "Murderer Khamenei should beryllium executed." Reuters could not instantly verify the footage.

The authorities blasted the revolt connected overseas enemies, including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

“Iran has the astir progressive constitution successful the world” due to the fact that it marries “ideals with democracy,” Raisi said successful a code to parliamentarians, quoting an unidentified African lawyer helium said helium met respective years ago.

“The constitution guarantees the (existence) of the Islamic system,” helium said, adding that it besides “guarantees cardinal rights and morganatic freedoms.”

The judiciary's Mizan quality bureau quoted the interior ministry's authorities information assembly arsenic saying 200 radical mislaid their lives successful the caller "riots".

Amirali Hajizadeh, a elder Revolutionary Guards commandant was quoted arsenic saying connected Monday that 300 people, including information unit members, had been killed successful the caller unrest.

Javaid Rehman, a U.N.-appointed autarkic adept connected Iran, said connected Tuesday that much than 300 radical had been killed successful the protests, including much than 40 children.

Rights radical HRANA said that arsenic of Friday 469 protesters had been killed, including 64 minors. It said 61 authorities information forces had besides been killed. As galore arsenic 18,210 protesters are believed to person been arrested.

A salient Baluch Sunni Muslim cleric, Molavi Abdolhamid, has called for an extremity to the repression of protests done arrests and killings, and a referendum connected changing Iran's authorities system.

"The people's protestation has shown that the policies of the past 43 years person reached a dormant end," helium said successful precocious November.

<a href="mailto:dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com</a>, Editing by William Maclean and Louise Heavens

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