#IranProtests2022 5th week of incessant protests (29th day) starting today with reports of ongoing protests in Karaj, Rashst, Hamedan and Shahinshahr.
It is 1:30 PM local time.
This is students today in Sanandaj.
In Ardabil where a high school student was allegedly beaten to death (we have not yet been able to confirm or disprove) protesters have clashed with the security forces.
SHAME ON YOU! Death of a schoolgirl was confirmed. Authorities have brought his uncle to say it was due to heat condition after the death of his father.
Scores of security forces dispatched and moving towards Ekbatan housing estate (seen in the background).
#Horrific A girl is being thrown into a car by a number of armed plain-clothed people. How is this not an armed kidnapping? One of them threatens a boy trying to save her by his pistol.
It seems pistol goes off when he tries to put it back into his pocket
The flash from the pistol can be seen on second 12 in a single frame when you watch it frame-by-frame.
My observation is that it has become extremely hard for protesters to reach large numbers in big cities such as Isfahan, Rasht, shiraz, Mashhad, etc but mid-size cities such as Yazd and Kerman there are fewer security forces.
Naziabad in south Tehran, people chanting "Down with the kid-killing regime".
Protests in this neighbourhood typically start late and numbers are hight.
Meanwhile in Naziabad protesters are settting up roadblocks
Eyewitness now from Evin in clubhouse:
- fire reaching 30m
- nearby windows shattered due to explosions
- shootings were unbelievable
- protests broke out near the prison with teargas fired
- fire is controlled now
Roads around the prison:
Clashes and mayhem near the prison
Footages now show all the roads towards Evin prison are gridlocked and people have started chanting.
The moment when one of the explosions occurred.
According to official reports 8 injuries and no fatality - but cannot be trusted.
Roads around the prison - protests forming:
Now I am hearing some anecdotal evidence pointing towards this being a plan by the regime.
- At 6 PM local time prison sirens were sounded
- A prisoner on furlough was told not to return today
People believe similar to downing #PS572, they were trying to create a decoy.
As I said protests already formed around the prison.
#BREAKING A car on the highway near prison is on fire due to a teargas landing inside the car.
There has been some calls for protest by Iranian Arabs of Khuzestan for tomorrow Friday - which I felt was perhaps a bit too soon and might clash with the typical Saturday protests.
But Khuzestan already started tonight:
Ahvaz, the capital (1.3M)
More Ahvaz.
This is quite significant since Khuzestan has been somehow quiet.
1/ As for the financial markets and economic impact, today was a bloodbath:
- Putin banned citizens and companies to transfer money abroad
- Russian stock exchange was meant to open today but it didn't. In fact, it was announced tomorrow will stay closed
2/
- After BP, Shell today exited its partnership with Gazprom
- India's state bank stopped processing sanctioned Russian entities
- NASDAQ and NYSE stopped processing stocks sfrom Russian-based companies
- Apple and Google Pay no longer work on Moscow's metro (& other places?)
It is a workday hence I just get the lunchtime to tweet - so here is the 🧵 Lunchtime Roundup on the War in Ukraine:
1) Kharkiv is being punished for its resistance with a barrage of MLRS (Grad and Smerch). Reports of dozens of civilian casualties. Very graphic footages of the slain coming out (not this one), which I would not include.
They are creating another Aleppo.
2) Battle in Chernihiv NE of Kyiv is raging with columns of smoke rising from the city.
It is clear Russian forces are not engaging directly while the peace talks are ongoing.
🧵4th day of the conflict Russia/Ukraine - Summary roundup: 👇
1) Waking up this morning to news of Russian forces with light armour in Kharkiv. Hours later we saw the remaining debris of those vehicles and mop-up operation cleared the Russian forces. Kharkiv is still in Ukrainian control.
2) A long column of Russian forces approached Kyiv from north west in Bucha south of Gostomel. After demolishing the bridge between Bucha and Iprin, the column was completely obliterated.