The Interior Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmad
Vahidi, said that many French intelligence agents were arrested during protests
in the country.
Vahidi told state TV on Wednesday, “People of other
nationalities were arrested during the protests, some of whom played a big
role. There were elements from the French intelligence agency and they will be
dealt with by law.”
Last week, France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said
that seven French nationals were detained in the Islamic Republic.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly accused foreign enemies,
especially the United States of fomenting unrest in the Islamic Republic after
the death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police
custody.
Amini was arrested by the Iranian morality police in Tehran
on September 13 for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic's strict dress code
for women. They took her to the detention centre. Amini collapsed on the ground
at the centre. Later on, she was taken to the Kasra hospital for treatment.
Three days later, she died at the hospital due to the severity of the injuries
she had sustained. Her funeral ceremony took place on September 17 in her
hometown in Saqqez. Subsequently, huge protests erupted in the country.
Demonstrators during a protest in Tehran for Amini turned violent, with
protesters burning vehicles of the security forces. Iranian authorities also
shot at protesters.
The ongoing protests have entered the eighth week. Iran has
also issued the first death sentence to a protester amid anti-government
protests.
According to the UN, more than 14,000 people have been
arrested in the Islamic Republic during protests.
Recently, Iran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced a protester
to death and gave jail terms to five other protesters. Mizan, a news website
linked to Iran’s judiciary, said that the protesters tried to set fire to
government buildings.
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