Wednesday, November 20, 2019, marked the sixth day of Iran protests in Tehran and other cities. The state media have published articles about the organized protests and women’s pivotal role in leading the uprising.
On the sixth day of the protests, Iran uprising has expanded to at least 145 cities. The death toll has reached 251 and the number of wounded exceeds 3700. So far, the deaths of at least six women and girls have been confirmed in Tehran, Mahshahr, Shiraz, Marivan, Bukan, and Saveh.
The United Nations says reports from Iran suggest that dozens of people may have been killed in days of protest that was sparked by sharp rise in petrol prices. A UN Human Rights spokesman in Geneva expressed deep concern at the use of live ammunition by the security forces.
Amnesty International also issued a statement calling for end to “brutal and deadly crackdown” on anti-government demonstrations.
The French government said on Wednesday it was deeply concerned by reports of many deaths during protests in Iran and called on Tehran to respect its international human rights duties.
France “expresses its deep concern over reports of the deaths of many demonstrators in recent days,” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily online briefing. “France calls on Iran to respect its international human rights obligations.”
The state media have expressed their fear of the organized protests. The state-run Mashreq daily wrote about the pivotal role of women. “Women had a remarkable role in the recent mischief. They had special role in various scenes in inciting the public to carry out acts against the establishment.” (The state-run Mashreqnews.com, November 20, 2019)
The state-run Fars news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also wrote: “Some women had pivotal role in leading the riots.” Fars added, “Women’s special role in running and leading the recent riots seemed remarkable. In numerous places particularly in Tehran suburbs, women who were apparently between 30 to 35 years old, had a special role in leading the riots… These women wore the same garbs, each had a different role; one filmed the riots, the other stopped the cars, and another one incited the people to join the ranks of riots…” (The state-run Fars news agency – November 20, 2019)
