Iran. Anger mounts as authorities step up crackdown

Anti-government protests in Iran are set to continue with growing anger over Tehran’s decision to step up a deadly crackdown on protests that erupted three months ago.

The protests followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died shortly after being arrested by vice squad for allegedly breaking the country’s hijab law.

Meanwhile, Iran was hit with new sanctions on Friday by the European Union and Britain for carrying out its first known execution linked to the protests.

Mohsen Shekari was found guilty of “war against God” and executed on Thursday after stabbing a member of the paramilitary forces during a demonstration in Tehran last September.

The execution comes as other detainees face the death penalty for their involvement in the protests.

Abroad, people gathered in cities like Rome to show their support for protests in Iran.

Demonstrators outside the Iranian Embassy in Rome repeatedly chanted: “Murderers rule; they kill children; expel ambassadors; no to the Islamic Republic; yes to democracy, no to theocracy, yes to democracy; woman, file, freedom; I am fighting for my freedom”.

The unrest is one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.