The father of Mahsa Amini, the young woman whose death in hijab police custody sparked the current protests in Iran, says authorities tried to force him into giving interviews to Iran's state broadcaster.
Amjad Amini said in an interview on Wednesday that he and his brother-in-law were threatened by authorities to give interviews to support the narrative of the Islamic Republic about the death of Mahsa, who received fatal blows to her head while in custody..
"Islamic Republic’s state broadcaster was the last media that contacted me, and I told them frankly that I will not give and interview to them under any circumstances; Three weeks later, they called me and expected me to speak to them. I asked them about the reason to interview me,” he said.
"I did not allow them to speak to tell me their demands," he said.
He said he asked about the reason for her daughter's death, but the authorities told him that it is none of his business and they will announce whatever is in the interest of the Islamic Republic.
Iran International obtained Amini’s brain CT scan from hospital sources in September that shows serious injuries to her skull. Hospital staff also confirmed that she was in a coma upon arrival. Fars news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard confirmed that the CT scan belonged to Amini. Moreover, her photos in the hospital show her bleeding from the right ear, a definite sign of brain injury.
At the same time, strikes by oil and petrochemical workers that started last week has spread to more plants, including contract workers at the South Pars natural gas fields that produce around 70 percent of the country’s energy needs.
Anonymous activists that have been calling for protests in October, urged people to come out into the streets on Wednesday and again Saturday. The activists call themselves Tehran Youth, or in other cities by the same template, such as Esfahan Youth.
They also urged the people to protest in their own neighborhoods, as opposed to concentrated large demonstrations. The tactic is meant to leave security forces guessing about the next hot spot and shift the protests from one location to another.
Early Wednesday evening protests were reported in Tehran, Esfahan, Arak and several western cities with Kurdish-majority population and in the south. The government shut down mobile Internet access, which greatly reduced the number of videos and photos being posted on social media.
Meanwhile, protests do take place every day in different cities. Demonstrations continued in several cities such as Ahvaz Tuesday night and in some areas of Tehran such as Ekbatan, where small groups protested while others joined in the chanting from their apartment windows.
In Tehran’s Gisha neighborhood someone even brought a loudspeaker out to lead the chanting.
In addition to universities, high school students also continue sporadic protests, even after security forces showed they are willing to raid schools and beat up children. Last week, one schoolgirl died in the norther city of Ardabil after being assaulted by plainclothes Basij enforcers under the command of the notorious Revolutionary Guard.
We provided live updates below as we receive news and videos from Iran. Our live coverage ended at 24:00 local time.
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Two women standing on a street in the Ekabatan district of Tehran and giving hugs to passerby. The action is called "A hug for a sad nation".
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Protest in Bandar Abbas, a port city on the Persian Gulf.
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Protesters in a street in southern Tehran. The voice in the video calls on residents to come out, telling them not to be afraid.
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A short video just received shows protests in a street in Esfahan.
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Text messages from the working class Nazi Abad district of Tehran speak of fierce clashes between protesters and security forces, who are using 'bird shots' from shotguns and tear gas.
There are no images available yet from Nazi Abad but below is a photo showing what happens when people are shot with these special shotgun pellets.
The Ekbatan district also witnessing large protests, but no videos available yet.
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Protesters chanting "Death to Khamenei" in Kermanshah, western Iran, while they lit fires in the streets to prevent movement of security forces and as a precaution against tear gas.
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News on verified Twitter accounts say fierce protests have been going on in the central city of Esfahan between demonstrators and security forces, although there are no videos yet. The video below shows protesters in a small town in Esfahan province.
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Protesters blocked roads in Mashhad and cars are honking to show support for those in the streets.
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People in the Narmak district of Tehran came out to protest during the day on Wednesday even before 6 pm time announced by activists.
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Demonstrators on the streets of Arak, central Iran Wednesday evening.
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A short video from Karaj, a city 30 miles west of Tehran shows protesters marching in the streets.
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Protest in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, capital of the oil-rich Khuzestan province. Demonstrators are chanting, "From Ahvaz to Tehran, my life for Iran".
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People protesting in Kamyaran, in western Iran, chanting against dictatorship.
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Student protest in Zahedan medical university earlier in the day.
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Protest in the western city of Sanandaj Wednesday evening.
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Cars on a boulevard in Tehran honking their horns as a sign of support for protesters on foot, early Wednesday evening.
