DUBAI, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Schoolgirls in Tehran chanted “go away” as Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi toured their university campus on Saturday and denounced the protests, according to activists The protesters were outraged by the death of a young woman.
As the nationwide demonstrations that rocked Iran entered its fourth week, Raisi addressed professors and students at Tehran’s Al Zahra University, reciting a poem that equated “thugs” with flies.
“They imagined they could achieve their nefarious goals in college,” state television reported. “What they don’t know is that our students and professors are vigilant and will not allow the enemy to achieve their nefarious goals.”
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A video posted on Twitter by the activist 1500tasvir website showed female students chanting “Raisi lost” and “Mullahs lost” as the president toured their campus.
An Iranian state coroner’s report denies the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini from blows to the head and limbs in moral police custody and links her death to a pre-existing medical condition, Iranian state media said on Friday. .
Iranian Kurdish Amini was arrested in Tehran in September. 13 Died three days later for wearing “inappropriate attire”.
Her death sparked nationwide demonstrations and marked the biggest challenge facing Iran’s civilian leader in years.
Women lifted the veil in defiance of the civilian establishment, while angry crowds called for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down.
The government has described the protests as a conspiracy by Iran’s enemies, including the United States, accusing armed dissidents – among others – of violence that has reportedly killed at least 20 members of the security forces.
Security forces facing the protests have left more than 150 dead, hundreds injured and thousands arrested, rights groups said.
Security forces fired on and used tear gas at protesters in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Sakiz after calling for mass demonstrations on Saturday, according to the Iranian human rights group Hengaw.
In Sanandaj, the northwestern provincial capital of Kurdistan, a man fell into his car and a woman screamed “shameless,” according to Hunger, who said he was shot dead by security forces after honking his horn in protest.
But a senior police officer reiterated the security forces’ claims that they did not use live ammunition and that the man was killed by “counter-revolutionaries” (dissidents), state news agency IRNA reported.
“Women, Life, Freedom”
Hengaw also carried a video of first responders trying to rescue a person and said a protester died after being shot in the stomach by security forces in Sanandaj. Reuters could not verify the video.
Hengaw reported that a school in Saqez city square was crowded with schoolgirls chanting “women, life, freedom”.
The widely followed 1500tasvir Twitter account also reported on the shootings of protesters in two northwestern Kurdish cities.
A university student who was traveling to Tehran to take part in a protest said he was not afraid of being arrested or even killed.
“They can kill us and arrest us, but we won’t be silent anymore. Our classmates are in jail, how can we be silent?” the student told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hengaw said there were widespread strikes in cities such as Saqez, Diwandareh, Mahabad and Sanandaj.
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Reporting from the Dubai newsroom; writing by Michael Georgy Editing by Ros Russell
Our Standard: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.