The death toll from the protests in Iran rose to 35 people, today, Sunday, while the number of detainees was estimated at more than 700 people, including women. Meanwhile, the authorities are trying to contain tensions, while the escalation is rising day by day.
At least 35 people were killed in the protests that erupted more than a week ago in Iran after the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, while she was in police custody, according to a new toll announced by official media.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets of major cities in Iran, including the capital, Tehran, for eight consecutive nights since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The Kurdish woman died after spending three days in a coma after she was arrested in the Iranian capital because of her "indecent dress".
State media reported that "the number of people killed in the recent riots" has risen to 35, including at least five security personnel.
There were reports of mass arrests, and General Azizullah Maliki, the police chief of Gilan province, announced that "739 rioters, including 60 women, were arrested" in the province, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Demonstrations took place across Iran on Friday, some of which were interspersed, according to recordings posted on social media, violence in Tehran and in other cities, including Tabriz.
In some of the recordings, security forces can be seen apparently firing live ammunition at unarmed protesters in Piranshahr, Mahabad and Urmia.
In a video released by the Oslo-based non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights, a uniformed security force member can be seen firing what appears to be an AK-47 at protesters in Shahri-Rey, in the southern suburbs of Tehran.
Security forces arrested a number of activists and journalists, and Sherif Mansour of the Committee to Protect Journalists, based in the United States, reported the arrest of 11 journalists since Monday.
Among those arrested was Nilofar Hamidi of the reformist Sharq newspaper, who wrote about Amini's death.
Internet blocking
On the other hand, the Oslo-based "Hinkau" Kurdish Human Rights Center said that the protesters had "taken control" of parts of the city of Ashnoyeh in West Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran.
Video footage showed protesters marching with their hands on the victory sign, but Henkao said it could be "temporary" and expressed concerns about a new crackdown.
Amnesty International warned late Friday of the "risk of further bloodshed amid a deliberate blocking of the Internet".
Amnesty said that evidence it collected from 20 cities across Iran "reveals a horrific pattern of repeated and unlawful shooting directly at protesters".
The organization also condemned the "barrage of bullets" at the protesters.
In its statement, it added that security forces killed at least 19 people on Wednesday night alone, including at least three children.
Thousands participated in a pro-hijab rally in Tehran on Friday, praising the security forces that moved to control the protests, which the official media says are "conspirators" behind them.
Demonstrations in support of the security forces also took place in several cities, including Ahvas, Isfahan, Qom and Tabriz.
Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested by the morality police, a unit responsible for verifying women's compliance with the dress code imposed by Iranian authorities, on September 13, and she died in hospital three days later.
Activists said that she received a blow to the head, but the Iranian authorities denied this, and confirmed that they had opened an investigation into the incident.
Iranian women burned headscarves and some of them cut their hair as a sign of protest against the strict dress code.
"not impressive"
Interior Minister Ahmed Wahidi said that Amini was not beaten.
And the Iranian media quoted him as saying that "the results of the eyewitnesses, the conversations with those present at the scene, the reports of the relevant agencies and all other investigations showed that there was no beating and the use of violence," according to IRNA news agency.
The minister indicated that the government is investigating the cause of Amini's death, adding, "We have to wait for the final opinion of the forensic doctor, which takes time."
In its statement, Amnesty rejected Iran's investigation and called on countries around the world to "take concrete steps" in the face of the bloody repression.
“UN member states must go beyond ineffective statements, hear the cries of victims and human rights defenders, and urgently establish an independent UN investigative mechanism,” said Heba Morayef, director of the organization's Middle East and North Africa regional office.
Iran has imposed severe restrictions on the use of the Internet in an attempt to disrupt the gathering of protesters and prevent images of the suppression of demonstrations from reaching the outside world.
The United States announced on Friday that it had eased technology export restrictions imposed on Iran to expand access to Internet services.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the new measures would "help counter the Iranian government's efforts and oversight of its citizens."