At least three lawyers have been arrested during the ongoing protests in Iran. As the Iranian daily “Shargh” reported, there were clashes at a protest meeting in front of the Bar Association in Tehran on Wednesday, where the lack of legal counsel for the arrested demonstrators was sharply criticized. The police used tear gas against the lawyers and, according to the media report, arrested at least three of them. What will happen to the lawyers is still unclear.
Most of the demonstrators who have been arrested have not yet been entitled to lawyers. Not even their families are informed about the whereabouts of those arrested. A dialogue proposal by the judiciary and the government towards the system opponents was therefore not taken seriously by the demonstrators.
The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The moral police had arrested her because she allegedly did not comply with the mandatory rules for wearing a headscarf. The woman died in police custody. Since her death, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the government’s repressive course and the compulsory headscarf imposed by the Islamic system of rule.
More protests planned
According to information from opposition circles abroad, around 200 people have died and thousands have been arrested during the protests. The information cannot be verified.
Protests were again planned for Wednesday in Tehran and other Iranian cities. According to observers, this is also the reason why the Internet in the country has been even more massively restricted. The internet hasn’t worked on mobile phones for weeks and otherwise only access to local websites is possible. As a result, the country is also booming with illegal VPN apps and software to bypass internet blocks and post information and videos about the protests on social media.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke again on Wednesday of a conspiracy by foreign enemies. “The role and interference of the enemy (Iran) in the unrest has also become clear to neutral observers abroad,” said the cleric, who according to the constitution has the last word in all strategic matters.
Shargh daily newspaper web portal, Persian Iranian leader web portal, Persian
