During the past days, following a protest rally in various cities of Iran against corruption, oppression and injustice, citizens of Kermanshah held a protest rally for the second consecutive day in Azadi Square this morning.
According to videos posted on the social networks of protesters in Kermanshah yesterday and today, the protestors demanded the release of political prisoners in addition to shouting slogans against the economic policies of the government and officials of the Islamic Republic
“I think there were only a small number of detainees who should have been released by now.”, Hooshang Bazvand (Khoramshah Governor) said today on December 30 regarding the arrest of a number of protesters in an interview with Eghtesad.
December 29, 2017 , Kermanshah
“Today, on December 30 and yesterday, thousands of Kermanshah citizens expressed their dissatisfaction with the current economic and political situation while holding a protest rally in Azadi Square where special forces unit attended a few minutes later to confront the protestors.”, one of the participants in the gathering told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
According to the above-mentioned source, protesters gathered in the streets leading to Azadi Square and were rallying towards Azadi Square where special forces and plainclothes troops not only attacked people with batons and tear gas but also beat and arrested a number of people.
“Last week, domestic media announced that Kermanshah had been removed from Iran’s metropolis area. Such measure will make the current situation of Kermanshah, which is considered the poorest province of Iran due to the high rate of poverty and unemployment, even worse than ever. The unemployed citizens of Kermanshah are fed up with this situation as they are condemned to gradual death.”, the source continued
“It’s unfortunate that when the earthquake destroyed the cities of Kermanshah, only the popular forces tried to help the earthquake victims during the first days while the governmental support units did not do anything at all. However, thousands of anti-riot forces were deployed to the main squares of Kermanshah to confront the civil protest.”, one of the participants in the protest said about the violent confrontation of special forces troops and personal clothing with protesters.
“We were informed by my one of my son’s friends that he, who is a 17-year-old student, had been arrested during the protests in Azadi Square. He was arrested after being beaten up with batons.”, a family member of a Kermanshah detainee, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said to
December 30, 2017, Kermanshah
KHRN.
“In the afternoon, we went to the Kermanshah court, but no one gave us a specific answer, we only know that the detainees are in police custody and they are not allowed to meet and call at the moment,” he added.
Different sources of Kurdish human rights network in Kermanshah have reported the arrest of at least 20 protesters, the majority of whom are young people under the age of 25. According to these sources, special forces with special vehicles equipped with an iron cage have arrested the protesters while beating them and transferred to the Security Police Detention Centre of Kermanshah.
