The arrests of thousands of anti-establishment Iranian protesters in the nationwide protests that began Thursday in Mashhad and spread to other cities continued, according to Iranian media.
The country’s police chief, Hossein Ashtari, claimed in a speech to his forces that 70 percent of the protests’ organizers have been arrested, although he stopped short of giving a specific number.
- Five people arrested in protests
Habibullah Khojastehpour, the Political Security Assistant to the Lorestan Governorate, said that five people were arrested when a hypocrite (referring to the PMOI) group was destroyed. He also added that one of the group members was wounded in the clashes. (The state-run Mehr news agency- Jan. 5, 2018)
- 170 people arrested in Gorgan protests
Golestan Prosecutor Mustafa Haghi said that 170 people were arrested in recent riots in Gorgan. “There will be no conciliation with those who disrupt public order and act against national security,” he added. “From those who were arrested, some of them were leaders, whose crimes and punishments will certainly be heavier. (Aftab news website – Jan. 6, 2018)
- More than 90 students arbitrarily arrested in Iran
The Tehran Representative in Majlis referred to a list that was given to her on the number of detained students and said that around 90 students had been arrested throughout Iran. “These numbers might be higher but currently we are certain about 90 arrests,” Parvaneh Salahshouri said. (The state-run Jame’e No website – Jan. 5, 2018)
- 300 protesters in Central Tabriz Prison
About 300 protesters in Tabriz and surrounding areas were taken to the Tabriz Central Prison yesterday. “Many of the detainees were wounded and beaten, and the condition of at least five of them was very bad,” an informed source said.
The prison quarantine of Tabriz Prison consists of only three rooms and has a capacity of up to 50 people. (Iran Human Rights Organization – Jan. 4, 2018)
- 294 protesters arrested in four towns in Markazi Province
Ghasem Abdullahi, the Chief Justice of Markazi Province, said that 294 rioters were transferred to prison. “On December 30, there were protests in Arak, Saveh and Delijan. Seventy-one men, nine women and 14 youngsters under the age of 18 were arrested in Arak, 15 men and one woman were arrested in Saveh and four others were arrested in Delijan. In these arrests, four leaders of the protests who were non-native to the region were also arrested”, he said. “(On December 31) seventy-nine people and 17 youngsters under the age of 18 were arrested in Saveh city. 145 men, five women and 30 young people under the age of 18 years were arrested in Arak, while six people were arrested in Delijan”. He announced the number of arrests on December 30 and 31 in Markazi Province as a total of 396 people and said that 294 people had been imprisoned, three of whom were under 18 years of age. The prisoners include 116 people from Saveh, 164 from Arak, nine from Delijan, two from Khomein and also three women. (The state-run ISNA news agency – Jan. 4, 2018)
- 11 protesters arrested in Parand protests
The Robate Karim Chief of Police announced the arrest of three heads of protests in Parand. “One of the men who was in charge of the riots was arrested in Parand. Three other women who played important roles in the riots in Parand were also arrested by security forces and were handed over to judicial officials”, Abdullah Zadeh Pashaki said. A number of detainees were identified by their initials as Z.K, A.K, S.K, and F.Y. (The state-run Mehr news agency- Jan. 4, 2018)
