CNN
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Iran’s supreme leader has praised the country’s Basij militia for its deadly crackdown on dissident protesters.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who met with Basij officials in Tehran on Saturday, described the popular protests as “rioters” and “thugs” backed by foreign forces and “innocent” defending the country. Praised the fighters of the Basij.
The Basij, part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, have been deployed to the streets amid growing protests since September.
The protests were initially sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman in Iran’s moral police custody.
Amnesty International says the Basij have been ordered to “face the protesters with mercy”.
“When facing the enemy on the battlefield, the Basij have shown to be fearless and always brave,” the supreme leader said on Saturday.
“You have seen in recent events that our innocent and oppressed Basij have become the target of oppression. [enemy] Salary, whether intentionally or unintentionally. They dedicated themselves to liberating others,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei’s words came days after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned Iran was facing a “genuine human rights crisis” due to the crackdown on dissidents.
Member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday passed a motion titled “The Deteriorating Situation of Human Rights in Iran, Especially Regarding Women and Children,” investigating Iran’s human rights violations during the past months of nationwide protests. formed a fact-finding mission to .
Turkey’s president called for an “independent, impartial and transparent investigation process” into human rights violations in Iran during the special session, and at the 47-member National Council in Geneva, security forces responded to unarmed demonstrators. He said he responded to the protests by using lethal force. A “threateless” bystander.
More than 14,000 people, including children, have been arrested in connection with the protests, according to Turk.
According to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, among those arrested were Hengameh Ghaziani, two prominent Iranian actors who were detained on separate occasions for publicly supporting nationwide protests. and Katayun Riahi are included.
The Islamic Republic has been caught in a wave of anti-government protests sparked by the death of Amini, who allegedly didn’t wear the hijab properly.
Authorities have since launched a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, with reports that forced detention and physical abuse were used to target the country’s Kurdish minority group. A recent CNN investigation found secret testimony of sexual violence against protesters, including boys, in Iran’s detention centers since the riots began.
Turk said unprecedented nationwide riots have taken control of more than 150 cities and 140 universities in all 31 Iranian provinces.
Iranian security forces’ violent response to protesters has shaken diplomatic ties between Tehran and Western leaders.
The White House on Wednesday said it was “extremely concerned that Iranian authorities are reportedly escalating violence against protesters” after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was It imposed the latest sanctions on three officials.
In an interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV on Thursday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Khani said foreign forces were interfering in Iran’s internal affairs and creating a “false narrative”.
