Despite security forces killing multiple people in Iran during the day on Friday, antigovernment protesters surged back to the streets after the nightfall.
Demonstrators in Tehran, Ahvaz, Bushehr, Sanandaj, Kerman, Lahijan and even in some small towns and villages like Nimvar in Markazi province and Podol in southern Hormozgan province held nightly protests.
In the capital, Javadieh, Tehranpars, Ekbatan and other neighborhoods in different corners of Tehran people took to the streets after dark, lighting fires, blocking roads, and chanting anti-government slogans.
Hours after regime forces opened fire on unarmed people in several cities in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Zahedan’s Sunni Imam, who had earlier in the day called for a referendum during his prayer sermon, once again strongly condemned the Islamic Republic's crackdown on protesters in the city of Khash.
The moment when security forces open fire and shoot three people in Khash
Molavi Abdolhamid said security forces killed at least 16 and injured dozens of others on Friday by opening fire on protesters who were throwing stones at the governor's office.
He slammed the way the government deals with protests in Sistan and Baluchestan saying that it reveals the “depth of cruelty and discrimination.”
Armed government agents also shot at the family of Shirin Alizadeh, one of the victims of the protests in Esfahan, during a memorial on the 40th day of her death, injuring at least three. These forces also insulted Shirin Alizadeh's family and prevented them from continuing the ceremony.
Meanwhile, a shocking video proving the regime’s extreme brutality emerged Friday night that shocked many. The video shows the family of Momen Zand Karimi washing the dead body of their teenage son before laying him to rest in a remote village Thursday night as government officials did not allow them to bury him in his home city of Sanandaj.
Momem Zand Karimi was killed by birdshots fired from shotguns during Wednesday protests when he was on a short leave from his military service.
Scenes of a vigil held for another victim Erfan Zamani in the northern city of Lahijan and also the video of the dead body of a young boy in Khorramdasht near Karaj, who was shot in the head and carried away by a police pickup truck on Thursday, were among other videos going viral.
While using lethal force against demonstrators, the government tried to bring out its supporters on Friday to mark the anniversary of taking American diplomats hostage in 1979.
However, the attempt was a disaster, as the Islamic Republic failed to mobilize its supporters and in some cities people who showed up were a few dozen or a few hundred. The state TV began using old footage to claim a big turnout. For Sanandaj, a hotbed of protests the TV showed a large crowd marching in rain, while the weather was sunny in the city.
The state TV was also forced to air some similar shots for different locations to show the presence of a large crowd.