Protest against the regime: Many Iranian shops remain closed

According to activists, shopkeepers in many cities in Iran have participated in a three-day general strike. This is intended to put economic pressure on the regime. The head of justice announced that the first death sentences are to be carried out soon.

In Iran, numerous business people apparently followed the call for a three-day general strike. Videos shared by activists are said to show numerous closed shops in major cities such as Isfahan, Shiraz, Sanandaj, Ilam and Urmia. There are also recordings that are supposed to show closed shops in smaller towns. The videos have not yet been independently verified.

In Tehran, some shop owners have reportedly been threatened with heavy fines if they close their shops. Nevertheless, many shops in the capital remain closed. Kurdish human rights group Hengaw said 19 cities in western Iran had joined the general strike. The protests, named 14-15-16 – according to the date in the Persian calendar – are expected to continue until Wednesday.

Iranian people have been urged to avoid shopping on these three days to prevent any money from circulating in the Iranian banking system. According to the protesters, as many shops as possible should remain closed, especially in the economic centers of large cities and in bazaars.

Protests for months

Thousands have been taking to the streets in Iran for months, demanding an end to the Islamic Republic with its codes of conduct and dress. The trigger was the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the Islamic moral guardians in mid-September because her headscarf was allegedly too loose.

She died a few days later in the custody of the vice squad. The Iranian authorities are using harsh force against the demonstrators.

The first judgments are to be carried out

Human rights activists assume that at least 18,000 people have been arrested and 470 killed in the protests so far. According to a report by the news portal Etemad, the Iranian judiciary chief Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Edscheh announced that the first sentences against demonstrators would soon be carried out. Several decisions have already been confirmed by the Supreme Court, including death sentences imposed for “Moharabeh” – “war against God”.

Doubts about the dissolution of the moral police

Before the three-day protests, Iran’s Attorney General Mohammed Jafa Montazeri’s statement about the dissolution of the vice squad sparked discussions in the country. It seems as if the regime is giving in to pressure from the demonstrators.

But a lot of things don’t go together, reports ARD correspondent Karin Senz. Recordings of Montaseri’s press conference are nowhere to be seen or heard. There is only a photo and written quotes. The state television station Al Alam writes that no official official has confirmed the end of the vice squad. An Iranian expert tweeted that only the Interior Ministry could announce something like this. This indicates that the leadership in Tehran does not agree on how to deal with the protests, he said sent.

Activists also reacted skeptically to the announcement. You speak of a diversionary maneuver. In addition, Montaseri made it clear that the judiciary would continue to deal with the behavior of society, i.e. continue to monitor the headscarf requirement. Observers assume that it is possible that only the mobile units of the moral police on the streets will be eliminated or that their tasks will be taken over by another authority.