Iran protests escalate as crackdown continues – Clashes overnight

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In the capital, Tehran, protesters again lit bonfires in the streets, while hundreds marched down a main street chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator”

Forty days have passed since her death 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and the protests in Iran are “flaring up” instead of dying down. Fierce clashes broke out again overnight, with tens of thousands of civilians once again taking to the streets in several cities.

In the capital, Tehran, protesters again lit bonfires in the streets, while hundreds marched down a main street chanting slogans such as “Death to the Dictator”a reference to Iran’s supreme leader.

In other cities, such as Andimeshk and Boujerd in the west, and Lahijan, near the Caspian Sea in the north, protests flared up again.

This new outbreak of protests comes just a day after police reportedly opened fire on protesters in the town of Saguez, Mahsha Amini’s hometown, where dozens of people had gathered at the Iranian Kurdistan cemetery where the 22-year-old is buried to pay her respects.

At the same time, the police fired bullets and tear gas at the crowd. The number of victims is not known.

It has been five weeks since Amini’s death and the protests show no signs of abating.

The Norway-based Human Rights Watch in Iran says at least 234 protesters, including 29 children, have been killed by security forces in a crackdown so far. Iran’s leaders have portrayed the unrest as “riots” instigated by foreigners.

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