Iran riot police clash with students protesting young woman’s death

The reported violence is the latest sign of a deadly clampdown on nationwide protests ignited by the death in custody of a young woman.

The anti-government demonstrations, which began at 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s funeral in the Kurdish town of Saqez on September 17, have spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iranian authorities in years, with many people calling for the end of more than four decades of Islamic clerical rule.

Activist Twitter account 1500tasvir, which has about 160,000 followers, posted several videos showing Sharif University, traditionally a hotbed of dissent, surrounded by dozens of riot police.

One of the videos showed security forces firing tear gas to drive the students off the campus and the sound of what appeared to be shooting at a distance could be heard.

Another video showed security forces chasing dozens of students trapped in the university’s underground parking. The account said dozens of students had been arrested.

Iranian state media described “reports of clashes” at the university and said the country’s science minister visited the campus to check on the situation.

Reuters could not independently verify the events at the university.

Students had been protesting at numerous universities on Sunday (local time) and demonstrations were held in several cities such as Tehran, Yazd, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz and Mashhad, with participants chanting “independence, freedom, death to Khamenei,” earlier social media posts showed.

The protests have not abated despite a growing death toll and the crackdown by security forces using tear gas, clubs, and in some cases according to videos on social media and rights groups, live ammunition.

Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said in a statement “so far 133 people had been killed across Iran”, including more than 40 people it said died in clashes last week in Zahedan, capital of the south-eastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Iranian authorities have not provided a death toll, while saying many members of the security forces have been killed by “rioters and thugs backed by foreign foes”.

Last week state television said 41 people had been killed, including members of the security forces.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not commented on the nationwide protests, which have spread to Iran’s 31 provinces, with all layers of society, including ethnic and religious minorities, taking part.

Ms Amini’s death and the crackdown have drawn international criticism of Iran’s rulers, who in turn have accused the United States and some European countries of exploiting the unrest to try to destabilise the country.

Iranian state media shared a video of pro-government students, who gathered at the Ferdowsi university in Mashhad, chanting: “The Islamic republic is our red line.”

Earlier on Sunday, Iranian members of parliament chanted, “Thank you, police,” during a parliament session, in a show of support for the crackdown on the protests.

Authorities say Ms Amini died of heart attack, deny she was beaten 

Iran’s morality police, who enforce the country’s strict dress code, arrested Ms Amini in Tehran on September 13 for “unsuitable attire”. She died three days later in hospital after falling into a coma.

The lawyer for Ms Amini’s family, Saleh Nikbakht, told the semi-official Etemadonline news website that “respectable doctors” believed she was hit in custody.

The autopsy report and other medical details have not been released, but Ms Amini’s father said he saw bruises on her leg and that other women detained with her said she was beaten.How the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini caused thousands of women to defy hijab lawsProtests have erupted across Iran following Mahsa Amini’s death. Here’s a recap of the events that led up to this. Read more

Iran’s police authorities say Ms Amini died of a heart attack and deny she was beaten to death in custody.

The country’s hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, has ordered an investigation into Ms Amini’s death. He said last week that a forensic report would be presented in the “coming days”.

Amnesty International on Friday reported that hundreds were injured and thousands arrested in the protests.

State media said at least 20 people were killed in the Zahedan clashes, blaming a separatist group from the Baluchi minority for starting a shootout in the city.