Tehran, Jan 6, (dpa/GNA) – Protests erupted in the largely Kurdish province of Ilam in western Iran, as darkness fell on Tuesday, activists reported on social media.
At a funeral in Malekshahi for people killed in the recent demonstrations, calls of “Death to the dictator” were heard on video clips posted on social media.
The Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also reported unrest in the town, with demonstrators setting three banks alight.
The governor of the town called for understanding for the protests, according to the Khabaronline website. “The voice of the people must be heard,” he is reported to have said, adding that protest should not lead to violence.
The state authorities have been responding with more force to the protests that began more than a week ago in the provinces, than in the larger cities.
According to reports from human rights activists, at least 29 people have been killed in the current wave of protest.
A cost-of-living crisis and a collapse in the value of the rial triggered the initial protests, which are now directed at the rulers of the Islamic Republic.
GNA