- Title: Iranians in France demonstrate against Iran protests crackdown
- Date: 26th December 2019
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARTIST AND HUMAN RIGHT ACTIVIST, SALA BASSIDJI, SAYING: "What the regime is trying to portray is that the Iran protests, as we say the hashtag is #IranProtests, has stopped but this is absolutely not true because at the same time, despite all the restrictions, despite the fact that the internet has been cut off and has been limited in various parts of Iran, we've actually received footage of people actually being on the streets. One footage shows motorbikes going around despite all the things going on, despite the fact that they have many members of family abducted, we can consider as hostages under torture." PROTESTERS WAVING IRANIAN OPPOSITION FLAGS
- Embargoed: 9th January 2020 15:55
- Keywords: Iran Iranian opposition Islamic Republic National Council of Resistance of Iran Tehran internet access protests
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA005BBM3BRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dozens of Iranian opposition protesters gathered at the Trocadero square in Paris on Thursday (December 26) against the recent crackdown by Tehran on protests in the country.
After days of protests across Iran last month, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared impatient. Gathering his top security and government officials together, he issued an order: Do whatever it takes to stop them.
That order, confirmed by three sources close to the supreme leader's inner circle and a fourth official, set in motion the bloodiest crackdown on protesters since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
About 1,500 people were killed during less than two weeks of unrest that started on Nov. 15. The toll, provided to Reuters by three Iranian interior ministry officials, included at least 17 teenagers and about 400 women as well as some members of the security forces and police.
The unrest began on Nov. 15 after the government of the Islamic Republic, one of OPEC's biggest oil producers, announced gasoline price hikes. But the protests quickly turned political, with demonstrators demanding the removal of top leaders.
Iran's authorities have restricted mobile internet access in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday (December 25), a day before new protests were expected to kick off following calls for demonstrations on social media.
(Production: Antony Paone and Pascale Antonie) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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