Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jan 10: Iran has intensified its crackdown on nationwide protests, with Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad warning that participants could be deemed “enemies of God,” a charge punishable by death under Iranian law. The statement, broadcast on state television on Saturday, also targeted those who assist demonstrators, signaling severe consequences for anyone supporting the unrest.
Under Iranian law, Article 186 allows authorities to label members or supporters of groups opposing the Islamic Republic as mohareb — “enemies of God” — even if they do not engage in armed activity. Article 190 prescribes four potential penalties for moharebeh or “corruption on earth”: execution, hanging, amputation of the right hand and left foot, or permanent internal exile, with judges granted discretion over the specific punishment under Article 191.
Protests continued across major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, and the holy city of Qom, despite a sweeping internet blackout. Verified footage showed crowds chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while residents in Tehran’s Sa’adat Abad district banged pots and honked horns in defiance of state claims that order had been restored.
The demonstrations, the largest since the 2022–23 unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, began on December 28 over rising living costs and the collapse of the rial and have grown into a direct challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership. Human rights organizations report a deadly crackdown: Iran Human Rights cites at least 51 fatalities, including nine children, while the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports 65 deaths and over 2,300 arrests. Amnesty International condemned the nationwide internet shutdown, describing it as a tool to conceal regime violence and rights abuses.
In his first remarks since the protests began, Supreme Leader Khamenei labeled demonstrators “vandals” and “saboteurs,” accusing the United States of instigating unrest. He claimed US President Donald Trump’s hands were “stained with Iranian blood” and vowed that the Islamic Republic would not yield. Trump, meanwhile, urged Iran not to harm peaceful protesters and suggested the leadership was “in big trouble,” while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed Washington’s support for the “brave people of Iran.”
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, warned that punishments would be “maximum” and without leniency, and the Revolutionary Guards emphasized that defending the Islamic Republic remained a “red line.”