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Iran protesters defy crackdown amid violent demos

The protests were sparked by soaring inflation, and have spread to more than 100 cities and towns across every province in Iran. Now protesters are calling for an end to the clerical rule of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.


Protesters in Iran defied a deadly government crackdown on Saturday night, taking to the streets despite reports suggesting hundreds of people have been killed or wounded by security forces in the past three days.


Verified videos and eyewitness accounts seen by the BBC appeared to show the government was ramping up its response, as it continues an internet blackout.


The country's attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, said on Saturday that anyone protesting would be considered an "enemy of God" - an offence that carries the death penalty.


More than 2,500 people have been arrested since protests began on 28 December, according to a human rights group.




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