- Title: Iranians in France demonstrate against Iran protests crackdown
- Date: 26th December 2019
- Summary: PROTESTERS HOLDING UP PORTRAITS OF KILLED PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARTIST AND HUMAN RIGHT ACTIVIST, SALA BASSIDJI, SAYING: "We are all gathered here today because we are commemorating in solidarity with the movement which is inside Iran, families and sympathisers of the Iranian resistance who have lost lots of lives. There are more than 1,500 killed at blank point by the security guards of Khamenei."
- 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: LVA003BBM3BRB
- 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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