Iranian students have been at the forefront of protests across the country over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died three days after she was arrested in Tehran by the vice police for not following the Islamic dress code.
Her death sparked protests in Iran and solidarity marches with Iranian women around the world. The protests continued despite a crackdown by security forces that left dozens dead and hundreds arrested.
At least 92 people have been killed in Iran since September 16, according to the Oslo-based Iranian Human Rights Organization (IHR).
Amnesty International confirmed the killing of 53 people, while the Fars news agency reported that “about 60 people” had been killed, and 12 members of the security forces were killed.
Authorities said more than a thousand people were arrested in Tehran province alone and more than 620 were released.
Students demonstrated Sunday night at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, which is the most important science university in Iran, before police chased them down when they ran into an underground parking lot.
Demonstrations by female students continued throughout the country, removing headscarves, chanting anti-regime slogans and distorting images of religious leaders.
In the video, confirmed by AFP, a group of young women can be seen removing their headscarves and heard chanting “Death to a dictator” towards Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as they push an official, reportedly the director, at the building’s entrance. school in Karaj, west of Tehran, on Monday.
Another group of women can be heard chanting “Women’s freedom of life” as they descend into a barn in the Gokhshardasht district of Karaj city.
“These are truly extraordinary scenes and if these protests achieve anything it will be up to the students,” Esfandiar Batmanglej of the news and analysis site Bourse & Bazaar tweeted.
Other videos posted online show students walking out of their classrooms to participate in lightning-fast demonstrations to avoid arrest. The AFP agency was unable to verify the authenticity of the clips.
But Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Jaafar Montazeri acknowledged youth participation in the protests on Wednesday, denouncing the influence of social media. “The fact that 16-year-olds are participating in these events is caused by social networks,” ISNA quoted him as saying.
In addition, IRNA quoted Education Minister Youssef Nouri as saying that “enemy attacks are targeting universities and the world of science and education.”
As the demonstrations continued into their fourth week, Iran expanded its security campaign by arresting prominent supporters of the protest movement and imposing internet restrictions restricting access to social media sites.
Human Rights Watch said Wednesday it has reviewed 16 videos posted on social media, noting that they show “police and other security forces using excessive and lethal force against protesters” in Tehran and other cities.
The organization added in a statement that these images show law enforcement forces “using firearms such as pistols or Kalashnikovs.” The statement quoted a Tara Seri Far researcher as saying the crackdown “is indicative of a coordinated government effort to crack down on dissent with a callous disregard for life.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian judiciary has denied any connection between the death of the teenage girl and the protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini.
And social networks in the afternoon reported that the girl Nika Chakrami was killed by security forces during demonstrations, but the judiciary rejected this version.
Last week, 63 people were killed when Iranian security forces carried out a “bloody crackdown” on a demonstration in Zahedan in southeastern Iran, Human Rights in Iran said Tuesday from Oslo.
A demonstration broke out in Zahedan after Friday prayers following accusations that a 15-year-old Balochi girl had been raped by a local police chief.
The suppression of the demonstrations drew international condemnation. Gatherings in support of Iranian women have also been organized in many countries around the world.
On Tuesday, the European Union joined the United States and Canada in declaring its intention to punish Iran with “restrictive measures” in protest at “the way Iranian security forces have handled the demonstrations.”
But Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned the European Union that it could expect “similar measures.”
Iran has consistently blamed outside forces for fueling the protests and last week announced the arrest of nine foreigners, including citizens of France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
On Wednesday, Tehran summoned British Ambassador Simon Sherlif to protest his country’s intervention in the unrest caused by the death of Mahsa Amini.