JAKARTA - Protests against the death of a young woman in police custody continued in several cities in Iran on Thursday, while a human rights group reported the death toll reached 83 people in protests that had been going on for nearly two weeks.
Mahsa Amini (22), of Iran's Kurdish city Saqez, was arrested this month in Tehran for 'inappropriate use' by police morality, which enforces strict dress codes for women in the country.
His death has sparked the first major opposition demonstration on Iran's streets since authorities destroyed protests against rising gasoline prices in 2019.
"At least 83 people, including children, are confirmed dead in #IranProtests," Iran Human Rights, a Norwegian-based group, said on Twitter.
Despite the increasing death toll and the crackdown by authorities, videos posted on Twitter showed demonstrators calling for the fall of clerics in Tehran, Qom, Rasht, Sanandaj, Masjed-i-Suleiman and other cities.
State television said police had arrested large numbers of 'titlers', without giving any figures.
Human rights groups say dozens of activists, students and artists have been detained. The Journalist Protection Committee said on Twitter it had learned security forces had arrested at least 28 journalists by September 29.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the unrest was the latest move by Western forces hostile to Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979.
"The enemy has made computing mistakes in dealing with Iran's Islam for 43 years, imagining that Iran is a weak country that can be dominated," Raisi said on state television.
Earlier, President Raisi said Amini's death was a tragic incident, but chaos amid protests was unacceptable.
"We are all saddened by this tragic incident, (But) chaos is unacceptable. The government's red line is the security of our people. People cannot let people disturb the peace of the people through riots," he stressed.
Separately, Germany's foreign minister said on Thursday he wanted the European Union to impose sanctions on Iran following Amini's death.
In Norway, several people attempted to enter Iran's embassy in Oslo during an angry demonstration in which two people suffered minor injuries, Norwegian police said. Police detained 95 people, public broadcaster NRK reported.
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