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Updated November 26th, 2022 at 20:18 IST

Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei lauds paramilitary force for brutal crackdown on ‘rioters’

As the world condemns the horrific crackdown on anti-hijab protesters by Iran’s security forces, the country’s supreme leader has lauded a paramilitary force.

Reported by: Deeksha Sharma
Iran
Image: AP | Image:self
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As the world condemns the horrific crackdown on anti-hijab protesters by Iran’s security forces, the country’s supreme leader has lauded a paramilitary force for quelling acts of dissent. During a televised address on Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labelled protesters as “tools” and “mercenaries” of the United States, while praising volunteers of the Basij, AP reported. 

The Basij, which is a paramilitary volunteer force of the Revolutionary Guard, was recognized by the supreme leader who said that the force “sacrificed themselves in order to save people from a bunch of rioters and mercenaries. They sacrificed themselves in order to confront oppression.”

“(The) Basij should not forget that the main clash is with global hegemony,” Khamenei added while referring to the United States, and hinting at the claim that the protests are merely a ploy orchestrated by other nations to cause unrest in Iran. This isn’t the first time that the supreme leader has spoken against the nationwide protests that have taken over Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab inappropriately and later died in custody. 

Iran regime resorts to brutal crackdown to end protests

Earlier this week, Khamenei promised to bring the "evil" protests to an end. "The evils will be undoubtedly finished, and the Iranian nation will continue to move forward in the path of progress with more strength and a fresher spirit," he said, according to a report by Newsweek. 

Meanwhile, protesters in Iran continue to face the wrath of authorities, with dozens of medical professionals expressing concerns over the alarming number of demonstrators being blinded by the ammunition used by security forces during the crackdown. According to Sobhema and Iran International, 140 ophthalmologists have raised such concerns in a letter to the head of Iran’s ophthalmologists association. “Unfortunately in many cases the hit caused the loss of sight in one or both eyes,” reads an excerpt from the letter, which is the second to be sent by eye doctors concerned about the use of rubber bullets and pellets to quell the protests. The crackdown has caused at least 448 deaths so far, and over 18,000 people have been arrested since the protests began in September, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran. 

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Published November 26th, 2022 at 20:18 IST

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