Iran's chief justice orders strict action against rioters as protest escalates
World
It is worth noting that protests against inflation have affected 25 out of Iran’s 31 provinces
TEHRAN (Dunya News) - Iran’s chief justice has ordered authorities to deal with those causing unrest in the country strictly in accordance with the law.
According to a news agency report from Tehran, Iranian Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei said he has issued directives to the attorney general and prosecutors to take firm legal action against rioters and their supporters.
He stressed that no leniency or concessions should be shown, adding that while protesters and their criticism are heard, there is a clear distinction between protesters and those engaged in unrest.
It is worth noting that protests against inflation have affected 25 out of Iran’s 31 provinces. At least 16 people have been killed since the demonstrations began on December 30.
The demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
The latest protests have been concentrated in parts of the west with large populations of the Kurdish and Lor minorities, and have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-2023 movement, let alone the mass street demonstrations that followed disputed 2009 presidential elections.
But they do present a new challenge for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- 86, and in power since 1989 -- coming on the heels of a 12-day war with Israel in June that saw nuclear infrastructure damaged and key members of the security elite killed.
