Two dead in latest bloody Iran protests

At least two protestors have been shot dead by Iranian security forces. It comes in the wake of bloody demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini. The protestors were responding to a call to commemorate those slain in a violent 2019 crackdown known as Bloody Aban, also giving new weight to the Amini protests. The 22-year-old was killed after her arrest for allegedly ignoring Iran’s strict dress code for women.In Tehran, protestors were seen to be blocking a roundabout in Sanat Square, chanting ‘freedom, freedom!’, made clear in new footage.Outside of Tehran, people began protesting in other cities such as Shiraz and Bandar Abbas, where women removed their headscarves and waved them above their heads.Some took to the streets to chant ‘death to the dictator’.Hengaw, a rights group based in Norway, told AFP that government forces had begun opening fire on demonstrators and at least two had been killed so far. Bloody protests have surged in Iran (Image: CNN)’Instead of opening space for dialogue on legitimate grievances, the authorities are responding to unprecedented protests with increasing harshness,’ spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.A large crowd could be seen chanting outside a Tehran underground station, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.’This year is the year of blood, Seyed Ali will be toppled,’ they were heard yelling.Workers shunned their tasks and university students boycotted classes in Ms Amini’s hometown of Kurdistan, in Western Iran, Hengaw reported.In the province’s city of Sanandaj, protesters burned tyres in a street and chanted anti-government slogans, in further online footage.As reported by 1500Tasvir, a social media monitor group, male and female students from Islamic Azad University in Tabiz, were chanting ‘Woman, life, freedom’ and ‘Man, homeland, prosperity’.The protests on Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the start of ‘Bloody Aban’ – or Bloody November – when a surprise overnight fuel price hike sparked bloody street violence that lasted for days.Amnesty International reported at least 304 people were killed in the 2019 protests.