Iran's anti-Khamenei protesters subjected to 'unknown injections, forced nudity': Reports
What's the story
Reports have emerged of horrific torture methods being used on detainees in Iranian prisons. A source close to a protester's family told Iran International that prisoners are being subjected to forced nudity, exposure to freezing temperatures, and injections with unknown substances. The source revealed that a young protester in custody managed to send a message detailing the alleged mistreatment he and others faced after their arrest.
Prison conditions
Detainees report forced nudity and cold exposure in prisons
The message from the young protester described how prison officers ordered detainees to strip naked in the yard and left them outside for hours in freezing temperatures. The detainee also alleged that officers doused prisoners with cold water from a hose. He claimed that on his second day, he and several other detainees were injected with drugs that prison authorities did not explain or identify.
Protest origins
Protests in Iran: A response to economic crisis
Human rights groups have expressed concern over the treatment of over 20,000 protesters who are believed to have been detained since demonstrations started in late December. The protests that started in December were initially focused on Iran's struggling economy. However, they soon morphed into a movement against the Mullah regime, which has ruled since 1979. Since these protests began, 3,766 people have been killed, and another 8,949 deaths are under investigation, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Official response
Iranian authorities blame 'terrorists and rioters' for deaths
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has blamed these deaths on "terrorists and rioters" linked to the United States and Israel. The country's judiciary has labeled these individuals as "Mohareb," a crime punishable by death in Iran. On Tuesday, Iran's national security parliamentary commission warned that Any attack on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would mean a declaration of war with the "entire Islamic world and must await the issuance of a Jihad decree by Islamic scholars."