A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic Republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 19, 2022. (Credit: WANA via Reuters/File Photo)
Iranian justice has indicted nearly 800 people for taking part in the “recent riots” in the southern province of Hormozgan, according to Mizan, an agency of the Judiciary Commission and local agencies. More than 2,000 people have been charged, half of them in Tehran. The protest started two months ago, according to figures provided by the Iranian judiciary. Human rights groups abroad report 15,000 arrests, a figure denied by Iranian officials.
The director-general of justice of Hormozkan province, quoted by Mizan on Sunday, announced the indictment of 164 people “after recent anti-security riots” in the province. “During a visit to a detention center in Hormozgan province, provincial justice chief Mojtaba Ghahremani announced that 164 people detained during the recent unrest will be tried in the presence of their lawyers starting Thursday,” Mizan said. They have been charged with “conspiring against the security of the country,” “propaganda against the regime,” “disturbing public order,” “rioting,” “inciting murder,” “injuring security agents” and “damaging public property.”
In addition, Director General of the Judicial Commission of Isfahan (Center) Province Asatullah Jafari was quoted by Tasnim Agency on Saturday evening as saying that 316 cases related to the recent riots had been reported. According to him, 12 criminals have already been investigated. Also, 276 people have been charged in Markazi province, the province’s justice director Abdol-Mehdi Mousavi said, as quoted by the official IRNA agency.
In contrast, 100 youths detained during the recent riots were released without trial after signing a pledge not to participate in the “riots” any more.
Iran has been a hotbed of protests since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested three days earlier by paramilitary forces for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. Iranian leaders mainly accuse Iran’s arch-enemy, the United States, of being behind the protests, which they describe as “riots.”