“Our arms are open to those (protesters) blinded by foreign propaganda, but we have no pity for the insolent,” Raisi said at a religious ceremony at Tehran University on Tuesday.
Raisi did not respond to his threat. However, more than 20 demonstrators are on a death list of the judiciary. They are charged with “making war against God”, which is punishable by death according to Islamic legal opinion. Two demonstrators have already been executed in connection with this.
For more than three months, people across Iran have been protesting against the Islamic system. Although fewer people took to the streets in recent weeks, the protests continued in a different form.
More and more women are ignoring the mandatory headscarf and are no longer afraid of the notorious vice police. Clergymen’s turbans are repeatedly knocked off their heads in protest. Videos depicting such scenes have been widely shared on the internet. To prevent forms of protest on social media, the government continues to restrict the internet en masse and on some days even shut it down completely.
Tehran sees “the enemies of Iran” and their domestic allies behind the protests and accuses them of trying to force a change of political power. The Iranian leadership sees the United States and Israel as enemies, as well as Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany.
More than 500 deaths have been reported in connection with the protests, according to Iranian activists and human rights organizations abroad. Mostly demonstrators were killed, but also police and security forces.
(SDA)