The Iranian leadership has held crisis talks over the unrest in the country. President Ebrahim Raisi, the speaker of parliament and the head of justice, among others, called after the deliberations on the population to maintain national unity and to resist the “plots” of the enemies of the Islamic system.
Protests in the strict Islamic country broke out after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in mid-September. She died after she was arrested by the religious police, who found that the Kurdish woman was not wearing her hijab in the correct way. Relatives and demonstrators speak of a fatal abuse, the Iranian authorities blame her death on existing health problems.
For weeks, protests have been taking place that have been violently ended by the security services. According to human rights groups, dozens to several hundred protesters were killed. Despite the violence, the protests continue. They also reached Iranian state television on Saturday. A news broadcast was suddenly interrupted in the evening and viewers were shown for several seconds photos of women who had died during demonstrations.
Dissatisfaction with the situation in Iran is also growing in other countries. Germany will ensure that the European Union freezes the assets of the people responsible for the crackdown on the protesters, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. She also advocates travel restrictions for those involved.