The federal government has asked German citizens to leave the country in view of the violent crackdown on the system-critical protests in Iran. “For German nationals, there is a concrete risk of being arrested arbitrarily, interrogated and sentenced to long prison terms,” ​​the Foreign Office website in Berlin said on Thursday.

“In particular, dual nationals who have Iranian citizenship in addition to German are at risk,” the statement said. In the recent past there have been a large number of arbitrary arrests of foreign nationals.

Anyone who is still in the country should behave very carefully, demonstrations and crowds of people should be avoided on a large scale. Communication services are largely restricted, and this is expected to continue.

Ambassadors continue their work for the time being

A spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office told the German Press Agency: “Today’s departure request is necessary to take account of the changed security situation and the protection of German nationals who are still in the country.” He added: “The escalating, violent action by the Iranian security forces requires this step.” The work and occupation of the German embassy in Tehran are not affected, they continue their work in the country.

Iran’s supreme religious leader Ali Khamenei recently described the protests as a “hybrid war” and also blamed “insidious and malicious European powers”.

The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini. The vice squad arrested her for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. The woman died in police custody in mid-September.

Tens of thousands of people have been demonstrating against the Islamic Republic’s repressive policies and authoritarian course for almost seven weeks. According to human rights activists, more than 280 people were killed and more than 14,000 arrested.

Emigration notice from the Federal Foreign Office