Khamenei labels protesters as 'rioters' and calls for their repression

The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations addressed Iran’s military, police and security forces in a statement, urging them not to turn against protesters.

“You come from the heart of this society. Standing against the people is standing against your own future and that of your children,” the council said. “Refrain from staining your hands with the blood of the people and be certain that history will not forget these moments.”

At least eight protesters have been killed during six days of demonstrations in Iran.

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Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed nationwide protests on foreign actors, saying people were being incited from abroad to create insecurity, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

Authorities should not allow “enemies” to achieve their aims, Pezeshkian said at a meeting with the minister and senior officials at the Agriculture Ministry, adding that a task force should be formed to quickly address the problems of the merchants and bussinesses.

The treatment of families of people killed in Iran’s protests goes beyond repression, the US Department of State said in a post on its Persian-language page.

Sharing videos from funeral ceremonies, the department wrote that it was cruel not only to silence people speaking out for their rights with lethal force, but also to harass grieving families during burials. Such actions, it added, amounted to a deliberate attack on basic human dignity, warning that the world is watching.

Information received by Iran International confirms that Ahmadreza Amani, a trainee lawyer, was killed on Thursday after being shot directly by government agents during protests in the city of Azna in Lorestan.

The head of the Yazd Bar Association, Mohammad Hossein Jafari, confirmed his killing during the protests and said he had written to the head of the judiciary calling for a thorough investigation.

Human rights lawyer Sina Yousefi wrote on X that Amani was 28 and was completing the second stage of his legal traineeship. A person close to the family told Iran International that Amani’s body has not yet been handed over, adding to pressure on relatives, and said security forces have begun pressuring the family to blame protesters for his death.

The determination of the Iranian public in the face of repression deserves international attention, the Persian-language page of the United States Department of State on X wrote as protests continue despite security force violence.

The post described the courage of Iranians as “undeniable,” saying people continue to protest and voice their demands despite violence by security forces. Arrests, beatings and even killings by security officials, it added, have failed to silence demands for welfare, dignity and basic rights, concluding that the public’s resolve in confronting repression warrants the world’s attention.

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