Iranians protest again despite fears of even bloodier crackdown

Iranian protesters have destroyed portraits of the country's leaders

Iranian security forces in the city of Arak, Markazi province, seen in an image from video footage made available on the ESN platform on September 25, 2022

Iranians staged a 12th straight night of women-led protests on Tuesday over the death of Mahsa Amini, despite fears an internet blackout will see security forces intensify a bloody crackdown.

Dozens have been killed since demonstrations flared after the 22-year-old Kurdish woman died in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police, after her arrest for allegedly breaching the country's strict rules on hijab headscarves and modest clothing.

A woman is shown with her headscarf removed and waving her arms in the air in Tehran's Narmak district, in a video shared by Manoto television, which also reported a protest in the southern port city of Chabahar.

Women are seen removing headscarves at Sanandaj, in Amini's home province of Kurdistan, and a man torches a banner of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the southern city of Shiraz, London-based Iran International TV reported.

The semi-official Fars news agency said "around 60" people had been killed since Amini's death on September 16, up from the official toll of 41 authorities reported Saturday.

- 'Universal right' -

On Tuesday, authorities on arrested the daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for inciting protests, the Tasnim news agency reported.

The crackdown has drawn condemnation from around the world.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Iran to "end its use of violence against women for exercising what should be a fundamental freedom."

Tensions with Western powers have grown this week, with Germany summoning the Iranian ambassador, Canada announcing sanctions and Tehran calling in the British and Norwegian envoys.

Riot police in black body armour have beaten protesters with truncheons in running street battles, and security forces have shot women at close range with birdshot, in recent video footage published by AFP.

Mahsa Alimardani, senior Iran researcher for freedom of expression group Article 19, said the internet blackout was as bad as during deadly November 2019 protests that erupted over fuel price rises.

The Iranian judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has stressed "the need for decisive action without leniency" against the protest instigators.

"The leaders must listen to the demands of the people, resolve their problems and show sensitivity to their rights," said Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani.

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who has led those efforts, on Sunday slammed Iran for its "widespread and disproportionate use of force against non-violent protesters".

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