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=Iran has been experiencing unrest for the past few months, as the anti-government protests have persisted despite the crackdowns by the Islamic Republic’s security forces. The United Nations, human rights chief, has warned that the situation in Iran has gotten to a “critical” point, as hundreds have already been killed in the demonstrations.
During a news briefing in Geneva, the spokesperson for the UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that the situation in Iran has gotten more concerning, noting the hundreds of people that have been killed in the crackdowns by security forces. The spokesperson added that the security forces have been hardened over time as they continue to clamp down on the demonstrations.
“The rising number of deaths from protests in Iran, including those of two children at the weekend, and the hardening of the response by security forces, underline the critical situation in the country,” said the spokesperson Jeremy Lawrence.
Lawrence also cited the crackdowns in many Kurdish cities in Iran, where there have been reports of over 40 people killed in the demonstrations in the past week. This follows the reports of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that over 300 people have been killed so far, including over 40 children. The deaths have occurred all over the country, with deaths reported in 25 out of 31 provinces.
Iran has been swept up in widespread unrest in what would be the biggest show of opposition to its clerical leaders since the 1979 Revolution. The protests were triggered by the death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of the morality police. Amini was arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic’s dress code for women.
Tehran has sought to blame its foreign adversaries for the unrest or accuse its foreign adversaries of using the unrest to destabilize the Islamic Republic. The unrest has also prompted prominent Iranians to speak out, including the country’s national soccer team, who chose not to sing the national anthem in a show of support for the protests.
All 11 starting players of the Iranian men’s national soccer team did not sing the national anthem before their match with England at the World Cup.
