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In Iran, countless people have again demonstrated against the political and spiritual leadership. According to reports from eyewitnesses, there were protests on Thursday evening in the capital Tehran, the megacity of Mashhad in the northeast and in the Kurdish areas. Activists had called for new protests after the traditional 40-day mourning for two executed protesters. The latest wave of protests in the Islamic Republic was triggered five months ago by the death of an Iranian Kurd.

Eyewitnesses reported violent protests in the Kurdish towns of Sanandaj and Ghorweh, where protesters set up barricades and set fire to rubbish bins. Security forces responded with warning shots. Several young people are said to have been dragged into police cars. In other parts of the country, many women were again on the streets. In Tehran, too, cries such as “Death to the dictator” or “Woman, life, freedom” could be heard. The protests, however, were confined to individual districts of the capital. The situation in the center remained calm.

The protests began in mid-September after the death of Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died in police custody after being arrested by moral guards for violating the headscarf requirement. The protests plunged political leaders into the worst crisis in decades.

In recent weeks, demonstrations had initially eased after the execution of four protesters. Many women are now expressing their protest by ignoring the obligation to wear headscarves. President Ebrahim Raisi recently declared that the protests were over. (aeg/sda/dpa)