TEHRAN - Dozens of Iranians demonstrated outside Azerbaijan's consulate in the northwestern city of Tabriz to protest the alleged ""killing of Shia"" in Nardaran, a suburb of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

The reports said protesters accused the Azerbaijani authorities of repressing the Shia community in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

Photographs from the December 10 protest show men and women outside the consulate holding placards with names and pictures of individuals described as ""Nardaran martyrs"" as police guard the compound.

Mehr news agency said on Friday that the protest was “spontaneous” and included students from seminaries and other institutes. After the demonstration, participants reportedly staged prayers and mourned in front of the consulate.

SP