Iran Lawmakers Demand Severe Punishment for ‘Rioters’ as Protests Rage

Demonstrators light candles during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Athens, Greece, October 29, 2022. (Reuters)
Demonstrators light candles during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Athens, Greece, October 29, 2022. (Reuters)
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Iran Lawmakers Demand Severe Punishment for ‘Rioters’ as Protests Rage

Demonstrators light candles during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Athens, Greece, October 29, 2022. (Reuters)
Demonstrators light candles during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Athens, Greece, October 29, 2022. (Reuters)

Hardline Iranian lawmakers urged the judiciary on Sunday to "deal decisively" with perpetrators of unrest, as the country struggles to suppress the biggest show of dissent in years.

Widespread anti-government demonstrations erupted in September after the death of young Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by morality police for allegedly flouting the strict dress code imposed on women.

"We ask the judiciary to deal decisively with the perpetrators of these crimes and with all those who assisted in the crimes and provoked rioters," 227 lawmakers from Iran's 290-seat, hardline-led parliament said in a statement, according to state media.

The activist HRANA news agency said that 318 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Saturday, including 49 minors. Thirty-eight members of the security forces had also been killed, it added.

State media said last month that more than 46 security forces, including police, had been killed. Government officials have not provided an estimate of any wider death count.

Iranian leaders have vowed tough action against protesters they have described as rioters, blaming enemies including the United States of fomenting the unrest.

Demonstrations continued in many cities on Sunday, from Tehran to central city of Yazd and northern city of Rasht, according to rights groups and videos on social media.

Reuters could not verify the rights groups' reports independently, or the social media posts and footage.

In the Kurdish city of Marivan, rights group Hengaw said security forces opened fire on crowds who had gathered after the funeral of another woman, Nasrin Ghaderi, to protest against her death.

Hengaw said Ghaderi died in a coma on Saturday after suffering severe blows to her head by the security forces while demonstrating in Tehran.

A prosecutor, cited by state media, said Ghaderi had a pre-existing heart issue and had died of "poisoning", without going into further detail. There was no immediate official comment on the report of gunfire.

Weeks after Amini's death, a coroner's report denied Amini had died due to blows to the head while in custody, as claimed by her parents, and linked her death to past medical conditions.

Students in a dozen universities, including in the northern cities of Rasht and Amol, held protests on Sunday chanting "death to Dictator", a reference to Iran's top authority Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to the unverified videos on social media.



Typhoon Yagi Leaves Dozens Dead in Vietnam, Bridge Collapses

A bridge collapse due to floods triggered by typhoon Yagi in Phu Tho province, Vietnam on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 (Bui Van Lanh/ VNA via AP)
A bridge collapse due to floods triggered by typhoon Yagi in Phu Tho province, Vietnam on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 (Bui Van Lanh/ VNA via AP)
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Typhoon Yagi Leaves Dozens Dead in Vietnam, Bridge Collapses

A bridge collapse due to floods triggered by typhoon Yagi in Phu Tho province, Vietnam on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 (Bui Van Lanh/ VNA via AP)
A bridge collapse due to floods triggered by typhoon Yagi in Phu Tho province, Vietnam on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 (Bui Van Lanh/ VNA via AP)

Typhoon Yagi left dozens dead in northern Vietnam and widespread damage as it churned westwards, preliminary government estimates showed on Monday.

A busy steel bridge over the engorged Red River in Phu Tho province collapsed Monday morning, local officials told state media. Several motorbikes and cars fell into the river, the initial reports said.

Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit Vietnam in decades when it made landfall Saturday with winds up to 149 kph (92 mph). It weakened to a tropical depression Sunday, but the country’s meteorological agency has still warned the continuing downpours could cause floods and landslides.

Managers and workers at industrial parks and factories in Haiphong, a coastal city of two million, said on Monday they had no electricity and were trying to salvage equipment from rain in plants whose metal sheets roofing had been blown away.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Haiphong on Sunday and approved a package of $4.62 million to help the port city recover.

Yagi also damaged agricultural land, nearly 116,192 hectares where rice is mostly grown.

The weather agency warned of more floods and landslides, noting that rainfall ranged between 208 millimeters and 433 millimeters (8.2 inches to 17.1 inches) in several parts of the northern region over the past 24 hours.
State-run power provider EVN said that more than 5.7 million customers lost power during the weekend as dozens of power lines were broken, but electricity was restored on Monday to nearly 75% of those affected.

Before hitting Vietnam, Yagi caused at least 20 deaths in the Philippines last week and three deaths in China.