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Heavy use of tear gas by security forces left many protesters struggling to breathe during demonstrations in Karaj, west of Tehran, an eyewitness told Iran International.
The witness said that on the night of Jan. 9, in the Kuy-e Andisheh area, security forces, snipers and plainclothes agents trapped protesters in an alley and targeted them with large amounts of tear gas and direct gunfire.
According to the eyewitness, at least five people had been killed in the area the previous night.
He said the intense tear gas caused severe breathing difficulties for a number of residents, including his mother and aunt, forcing people to light fires in the street in an attempt to make the air breathable.
The witness said security forces blocked both ends of the street, pushed the crowd into side alleys and then opened fire.
The eyewitness added that security forces were brought to the area on city buses, with snipers positioned on walls. Plainclothes agents were also present among the crowd and, alongside the use of tear gas and gunfire, were identifying and suppressing protesters.
Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday addressed regional tensions including events in Iran, and urged restraint.
"The region is going through a lot of tensions. And of course, we cannot exclude what's happening with Iran from these tensions in the region,” Al Thani said, according to a video clip shared by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X.
“And I believe that, with all this turmoil around us, we need to be more cool-headed and resort to wisdom,” he added.
Amnesty International on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to the planned execution of 19-year-old Iranian protester Amirhossein Ghaderzadeh, whose death sentence is due to be carried out on Wednesday.
“Iranian authorities must immediately halt any plans to execute 19-year-old Amirhossein Ghaderzadeh, who has been detained since 9 January for taking part in protests in Rasht, Gilan province, and stop weaponizing the death penalty against protesters,” Amnesty said in a post on X.
“According to an informed source, the authorities told him during a court session on 17 January that he is accused of ‘betraying his country’ and sentenced to ‘death by hanging’. The authorities have informed his family that his execution is scheduled for 21 January,” the group added.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar has urged the European Union to formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, citing its role in crushing protests and sponsoring terror across the region.
“Designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization!” the foreign minister wrote on X on Tuesday, responding to a post from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“You know very well what their role is in the murderous repression of the civilian protest in Iran, as well as in spreading terror in the Middle East and beyond,” Sa’ar added.
The European Union is proposing new sanctions on Iran, including a ban on additional exports of drone and missile technologies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
She added that, together with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the Commission is preparing further human rights related measures.
“We are also preparing new sanctions in response to the regime’s continued and brutal repression of protesters,” she said.
