SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iranian authorities on Friday arrested nine European nationals for playing role in the ongoing nationwide protests against the death of a young Kurdish woman in police custody.
Iranian Security forces arrested nine people from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and other countries for their role in the ongoing protests, the Intelligence Ministry said.
The nine unidentified persons were detained “during the riots or while plotting in the background”, the ministry said in a statement.
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets over the last two weeks to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the morality police in the capital of Tehran for allegedly violating the mandatory Islamic dress code.
Iranian state TV has reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began on Sept. 17.
Western human rights groups say that Iran, dominated by its Persian Shi’ite majority, discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities. Tehran denies this.