Anti-regime rallies have been flaring up in Tehran and other Iranian cities. Security forces met these demonstrations with excessive force, arresting hundreds of protesters, most prominent of whom was the daughter of ex-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Faezeh Hashemi was arrested on the 11th night of protests that have swept Iran nationwide in the aftermath of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, dying under mysterious circumstances while in police custody.
Revolutionary Guard websites announced the arrest of Hashemi on the grounds of her support for the protests.
A “Quds Force” channel reported on Telegram that Hashemi was arrested while participating in rallies east of Tehran.
“Faezeh Hashemi has been arrested in the east of Tehran by a security agency for inciting rioters to street protests,” the Tasnim news agency reported, without elaborating.
Meanwhile, footage circulated on social media showed crowds of Iranians descending to streets in various neighborhoods of Tehran despite the dangers and the strict security environment.
Riots erupting in Tehran coincided with renewed protests in the city of Sanandaj, the center of Kurdistan province, and major cities such as Tabriz, Isfahan, Karaj and Ahwaz.
Videos posted on social media from inside Iran showed protesters chanting, “Woman, Life, Liberty,” while women waved and burnt their veils.
Some raised other slogans against the ruling establishment, targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei particularly.
Many videos shared online showed riot police using live ammunition to restrain the protesters.
Twitter account 1500tasvir, which follows the protests closely, published a video showing Iranian women and girls burning their headscarves.
Despite a growing death toll and a fierce crackdown by security forces using tear gas and, in some cases, live ammunition, videos posted on social media showed protesters calling for the fall of the clerical establishment while clashing with security forces in Tehran, Tabriz, Karaj, Qom, Yazd and many other Iranian cities.
