Fifth Iranian paramilitary member killed as President vows to deal ‘firmly’ with protests

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ANI |
Updated:
Sep 26, 2022 4:23 am IS

Tehran [Iran]SEPTEMBER 26 (ANI): The fifth member of Iran’s paramilitary volunteer group died in a clash with anti-Hijab protesters on Sunday, as the country’s President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to deal “firmly” with the protesters targeting the Street came to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody.
The member of the paramilitary volunteer group Basij was injured in a clash with “rioters and thugs” in the northwestern Iranian city of Urmia on Thursday, Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA said.
The protest was sparked after the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict rules on women’s dress by wearing an “improper hijab”.
Hundreds of protests have been organized across the country. Iranian women were seen burning their hijabs and cutting their hair to mark their protest at Amini’s death and against the mandatory veil.
At least 41 people have been killed in the protests in Iran, Al Jazeera reported, citing state television.
Earlier, the Iranian president pledged to deal “firmly” with the protests that have gripped the country since the death of a woman detained by Iran’s morality police.
Raisi’s comments came on Saturday as protesters took to the streets for the ninth straight day.

The Iranian President on Saturday spoke to a relative of the Basij paramilitary member who was killed in a raid in the northeastern city of Mashhad. It quoted the president as saying Iran must “deal decisively with those who oppose the security and tranquility of the country,” Al Jazeera said, citing state media.
The president “stressed the need to distinguish between protest and disruption to public order and security, calling the events … a riot,” state media reported.
According to Al Jazeera, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was visiting Tehran with her family when she was arrested by the special police unit. After some time during detention, she suffered a heart attack and was immediately taken to the hospital in cooperation with the emergency services.
“Unfortunately, she passed away and her body was taken to the coroner’s office,” state television said on Friday, Al Jazeera reported. The announcement came a day after Tehran police confirmed Amini had been arrested with other women for “teaching” the rules.
After Mahsa Amini’s death, several women protesters cut their hair and burned hijabs to protest compulsory veiling for women.
Amini fell into a coma in the detention center and died in hospital on September 16. Iranian authorities said she died of a heart attack and claimed her death was of natural causes. However, some reports suggested that Amini’s death was the result of alleged torture and ill-treatment, the experts said.
Amini’s death comes amid growing controversy both inside and outside Iran over the behavior of the morality police, officially known as the Gasht-e Ershad (Command Patrol). The mandatory dress code, which applies to all nationalities and religions, not just Iranian Muslims, requires women to cover their hair and neck with a headscarf, Al Jazeera reported.
Her death has now become a symbol of the violent oppression women in Iran have been subjected to for decades. Especially in the big cities, women have pushed back more and more over the decades and have worn the headscarf far back on their heads to bare their hair. (ANI)

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