Iranian security forces fire at protesters – 13 dead Taylor Swift breaks own record at American Music Awards, according to report – Chris Brown garners boos

Iranian leaders continue to use violence against demonstrators in the Kurdish parts of the country: According to a human rights organization, security forces fired live ammunition at demonstrators in Piranshahr, Marivan and Javanrud. Norway-based organization Hengaw released videos on Monday showing gunshots. Hengaw’s figure of 13 killed in 24 hours could not be independently verified.

The Oslo-based human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) also released footage showing security forces firing live ammunition in the town of Piranshahr. The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), based in New York, described the events in the town of Javanrud as a “massacre”.

The online monitor Netblocks, which monitors internet blockages around the world, spoke on Monday of a “significant disruption” to internet access during the recent protests. Mobile internet access was interrupted for many users.

The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Iran. They make up about ten million of the 83 million inhabitants and the majority profess Sunni Islam. Shiites dominate the country.

In Iran, since the death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in mid-September, people across the country have taken to the streets against Tehran’s leadership. The 22-year-old was arrested by the moral police because she would have worn her headscarf incorrectly. A short time later, she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Activists accuse the police of abusing Amini.

The protests against the moral police quickly turned into demonstrations for more women’s rights and freedoms in Iran and for democracy in general. The security authorities are cracking down on the protests, most recently in the Kurdish areas in the northwest and west of the country.

On Monday, a police officer was killed and another injured in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, the provincial police chief told Fars news agency. As a result, ‘criminals’ shot from a car in the provincial capital Sahedan, the perpetrators fled. Mass protests in Sahedan, which began in late September, were triggered by reports that a police officer raped a 15-year-old girl. (sda/afp)