The White House released a statement Jan. 10 voicing concern over arrests of protesters who took to the streets all over Iran beginning Dec. 28, as well as reports some demonstrators were tortured or killed.
“We will not remain silent as the Iranian dictatorship represses the basic rights of its citizens and will hold Iran’s leaders accountable for any violations,” the statement said. “The protesters in Iran are expressing legitimate grievances, including demanding an end to their government’s oppression, corruption, and waste of national resources on military adventurism.”
News outlets reported Jan. 9 that Iranian authorities had arrested upwards of 3,700 prisoners, based on comments from Mahmoud Sadeghi, a Tehran member of parliament. Iran’s officials have claimed arrests totaled about 1,000.
The protests began just before the new year in the northeastern Iran city of Mashhad and spread to about 80 cities throughout the country. Protesters voiced anger at Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, a struggling economy, poverty, and unemployment.
“Iran’s regime claims to support democracy, but when its own people express their aspirations for better lives and an end to injustice, it once again shows its true brutal nature,” the White House statement continued. “The United States calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Iran, including the victims of the most recent crackdown.”
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