More Iranians have joined the protests, turning the crisis into an outlet for broader frustrations with the government. Read more at straitstimes.com.
and multiple casualties have been reported. The government said on Thursday that 17 people, including two security officers, had been killed since the unrest began last weekend. Rights groups say the toll is likely to be higher.
Authorities have struck back again with a brutal and systematic crackdown: Security forces have fired on protesters with gunshots and water cannons and beat them with batons. Cellphone andA young woman's death ignited long-simmering anger. Iran's security forces issued a statement saying that Amini had collapsed from a heart attack at the detention centre while receiving training on hijab rules. Her family disputed this claim, saying she was perfectly healthy before her arrest, according to news reports.
One widely circulated video, from the city of Kerman, in the south-east, showed a woman cutting her hair in front of a roaring crowd.As anger has gripped the country, more and more Iranians have joined the demonstrations, turning the crisis into an outlet for broader frustrations with the government.
Iran's economy has been at rock bottom for years. US-led sanctions in response to the country's nuclear and missile programmes have made it much harder for Iran to sell its oil and cut access to the global financial system, and corruption and economic mismanagement are rife. Iranians have long been subject to ever-rising inflation, food shortages and supply disruptions, and a scarcity of jobs.