Skip to main content

Iran's Raisi condemns 'chaos' of protests after Mahsa Amini's death

In this file photo, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a press conference in New York on September 22, 2022
— Paris (AFP)

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi condemned Wednesday the "chaos" sparked by a wave of women-led protests over the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the Islamic republic's morality police.

"Those who took part in the riots must be dealt with decisively, this is the demand of the people," said Raisi in a televised interview.

"People's safety is the red line of the Islamic republic of Iran and no one is allowed to break the law and cause chaos," he said.

"The enemy has targeted national unity and wants to pit people against each other," added the ultraconservative president, accusing Iran's archfoe the United States of stoking the unrest.

Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died on September 16, three days after she had been arrested for allegedly breaching Iran's strict rules for women on wearing hijab headscarves and modest clothing.

Raisi said the nation had felt "grief and sorrow" over her death, and that forensics and judiciary experts would soon present a final report, but also warned that "protests are different to riots".

"Woman, Life, Freedom!" the protesters have chanted in Iran's biggest demonstrations in almost three years, in which women have defiantly burned their headscarves and cut off their hair.

Their actions have been matched in solidarity protests worldwide, with British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who spent six years in jail in Iran, cutting her hair in a video shared on the BBC Persian service.

Amini's bereaved parents have filed a complaint, demanding "a thorough investigation" and the release of "all videos and photographs" of her while in custody, said their lawyer Saleh Nikbakht.

Rights groups said security forces used batons, teargas, water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition in certain regions

An Iraq-based cousin of Amini, who is a member of a Kurdish nationalist group, charged that she died after a "violent blow to the head" and that one officer had vowed to "instil the rules in her and teach her how to wear the hijab and how to dress".

As the Iranian protests have flared for 12 nights in a row, Iran's police command vowed its forces would confront them "with all their might", in a crackdown that one rights group says has already killed at least 76 people.

- 'Cowardly attacks' -

A wounded member of the Kurdish Democratic Party is transported to a hospital following strikes by Iran on the village of Altun Kupri, south of the capital Arbil, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region

Iran has blamed outside forces for the unrest, including "counter-revolutionary" Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq -- across from Iran's Kurdistan province Amini hailed from, and where the protests first flared.

In a major escalation, Iran on Wednesday launched cross-border missile and drone strikes that killed 13 people in Iraq's Kurdistan region, after accusing Kurdish armed groups based there of fuelling the unrest.

The attacks were condemned by the UN mission in Iraq, and the federal government in Baghdad summoned the Iranian ambassador.

The United States condemned the "brazen attacks" and Britain said Iraq's "indiscriminate bombardment" demonstrates "a repeated pattern of Iranian destabilising activity in the region".

Germany slammed the "escalation... against the backdrop of domestic political protests in Iran" and rejected "attempts to locate the causes of the Iranian protests in the neighbouring country".

A woman holds up a picture of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian woman who died while in Iranian police custody, at a solidarity demonstration in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh

The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, one of the groups targeted, charged that "these cowardly attacks are occurring at a time when the terrorist regime of Iran is unable to crack down on ongoing protests inside and silence the Kurdish and Iranian peoples' civil resistance".

- 'Not a big deal' -

The Iranian government -- its economy already hit by sanctions over its nuclear programme -- has sought to play down the crisis.

Protests in Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said he told Western diplomats at recent UN meetings that the protests were "not a big deal" for the stability of the clerical state.

"There is not going to be regime change in Iran. Don't play to the emotions of the Iranian people," he told National Public Radio in New York, also accusing "outside elements" of stirring up violence.

Fars news agency said Tuesday "around 60" people had been killed since Amini's death. But the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights said the crackdown has killed at least 76 people.

Iran's response has drawn concern from the United Nations and condemnation from the around the world, with Germany and Spain summoning the Iranian ambassadors and the United States and Canada announcing new sanctions.

The son of Iran's late shah, in an interview near Washington with AFP, hailed the protests and urged the world to add to the pressure on the clerical leadership.

Reza Pahlavi, whose father was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, urged greater preparation for a future Iranian system that is secular and democratic.

"It is truly in modern times, in my opinion, the first revolution for the women, by the women -- with the support of the Iranian men, sons, brothers and fathers," said Pahlavi.

burs/fz/lg

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial