Last year riots planned by U.S., certain European nations: Raisi

August 15, 2023 - 23:14

TEHRAN - The United States and a few European nations have come under fire from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for organizing the riots that erupted throughout the country last year.

Raisi made the comments during a meeting on Monday with the members of a committee formed to look into different facets of the riots in 2022.

“The United States and some European countries, along with Iran’s adversaries, wronged the Iranian nation and targeted security, calm, businesses and minds of our dear people by orchestrating the riots. However, our people foiled their plot through steadfastness,” the president remarked.

Raisi emphasized that during the course of the probe, not a single individual should suffer any injustice.

One of the committee’s most crucial responsibilities, he continued, is to give a “correct and fair narrative” of those episodes, one that is based on facts, records, and eyewitness testimonies and is free of any prejudice.

The president continued by saying that compensation must be given to everyone whose rights were infringed during the riots or who suffered injury of any kind.

On June 26, the head of Iran’s Judiciary asserted that the courts have looked into more than 20,000 cases involving riots in the last fall.

Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei made the remarks while speaking at the national annual conference of the Judiciary.

Following the past year’s riots in Iran, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei issued an amnesty that saw the release of around 98,000 prisoners.

In order to qualify for the Leader’s amnesty, Mohseni-Ejei had previously stated that the Judiciary had divided the cases of “repentant individuals” from those of the rioters.

The unrest of the past year was to a large extent, instigated by foreign elements, he said, adding that some individuals had also taken to the streets without having any affiliation to foreigners.

Following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022, a wave of unrest erupted in certain cities across Iran. Many people, including civilians and security forces, died during the unrest. She had been arrested for a loose covering of hijab.

Officials have said that the unrest was instigated by foreign intelligence agencies. The unrest also strained Iran’s relations with Western countries, which moved to impose sanctions on Iran under the pretext of supporting human rights and accused Iran of cracking down on the protesters.

The unrest faded away months ago. But it prompted many Iranian officials to study the roots of the protests.

A coroner’s study proved that Amini’s death was not caused by a possible blow to her head or any vital organs.

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