Renewed Protests in Iran’s Restive Southeast, Currency at New Low

People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Renewed Protests in Iran’s Restive Southeast, Currency at New Low

People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Demonstrators marched in Iran's restive southeast on Friday amid reports on social media that security forces were surrounding a mosque at the center of weekly anti-government rallies.

Anti-government protests have been taking place across Iran since last September's death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini for flouting hijab policy, which requires women to entirely cover their hair and bodies.

"We swear on our comrades' blood to stand strong until the end," hundreds of demonstrators were seen chanting in a video from the flashpoint city of Zahedan posted by the activist news agency HRANA.

Another widely-circulated video purported to show security forces beating and arresting a Baluch man trying to enter the Makki Mosque in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

The Baluch minority, estimated to number up to 2 million people, has faced discrimination and repression for decades, according to rights groups. Sistan-Baluchistan, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of Iran's poorest provinces and has seen repeated killings by security forces in recent years.

Zahedan saw one of the deadliest days of protests after Amini's death, with at least 66 people killed in a crackdown there on Sept. 30, Amnesty International said.

As with previous bouts of unrest, authorities appeared to have disrupted internet services on Friday.

"Confirmed: Real-time network data show a significant disruption to internet connectivity in Zahedan, #Iran; the incident comes amid a growing security presence during Friday protests," NetBlocks internet monitor said.

There was no immediate word on state media of Friday's protests. Tehran says the protests are instigated by its foreign enemies.

Meanwhile, Iran's currency continued its slide to hit new lows, weighed by the unrest and Tehran's increased isolation under mounting Western sanctions.

The rial plummeted to a new record low of 539,200 against the US dollar on Friday, compared to 526,500 on Thursday, according to foreign exchange site Bonbast.com, amid reports of new sanctions against Iran.

The US Commerce Department targeted Belarus, Iran and others in its latest response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, imposing export control measures and adding more targets to its entity list.

While the nationwide unrest has diminished in recent weeks, probably because of executions and crackdowns, acts of civil disobedience have continued from anti-government graffiti to unveiled women appearing in public.



Tens Killed, Injured in West Kordofan, Reports Say

 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 
 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 
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Tens Killed, Injured in West Kordofan, Reports Say

 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 
 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 

Dozens of people were killed and injured in a drone strike on a public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad, in the western state of Kordofan, western Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and local bodies blamed the Sudanese Army (SAF) for the attack.

“The shelling on Saturday afternoon killed 34 civilians, including medical personnel, and wounded dozens more,” the RSF said in a statement on Sunday.

Also, Al-Majlad Emergency Room, a local group in the West Kordofan State, posted a statement on its Facebook page, blaming the army for the attack.

Until Sunday evening, the Sudanese army had not responded to the accusations. Its official spokesman, Nabil Abdullah, has not answered calls for comment.

According to local sources, the attack on the hospital came shortly after the RSF had transferred to the facility dozens of its members injured in the fierce clashes that broke out last week with the SAF in Babanusa.

On Saturday, the Sudanese army had said in a statement that its forces in the 22nd Infantry Division operating in Babanusa, repelled a major RSF attack on the city.

On Sunday, the Emergency Lawyers, a rights group that monitors abuses in the Sudanese war, confirmed the deaths and injuries in the raid on Al-Majlad’s hospital.

“The hospital is one of the state's primary health facilities. It houses a dialysis unit that provides regular services to patients,” the group said, adding that the attack constitutes a “serious violation.”

The lawyers added, “We categorically reject any explanations that could be offered to justify this attack. We hold the parties behind the shelling fully responsible for the human and material losses.”

Meanwhile, local sources said that the majority of residents in Al-Majlad and the nearby towns and villages, mainly rely on this hospital to receive treatment and healthcare.

Earlier, SAF media sources said on social media that the military had carried out an airstrike on the city of Al-Majdal, without specifying the targeted area.

Despite international calls to protect hospitals during armed conflict, medical facilities have been repeatedly attacked, with both sides of conflict blaming each other for the incidents.

Last May, the SAF blamed the RSF for the attack on a hospital in Obeid, the capital of northern Kordofan, where six people were killed and 12 others injured.