Police shell rubber bullets as protesters block Tehran subway

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Some incidents were witnessed in the Tehran subway during the rush hour on Tuesday evening, with viral videos showing police shelling at women, leading to a commotion.

Anadolu Agency spoke to many reliable sources, including witnesses, on what transpired that triggered the chaos and disorder.

The incidents were reported at a few subway stations in central and western Tehran when angry female protesters "prevented the movement of metro trains by blocking the entrance doors," according to one source.

The demonstrators were responding to a three-day nationwide protest call given by an anonymous group to mark the third anniversary of the deadly November 2019 unrest.

The week-long unrest was triggered by the abrupt fuel price hike by then government, leading to more than 100 casualties.

At one subway station in central Tehran, police responded by shelling rubber bullets "to disperse the protesters that were blocking the trains," said a witness, who was also traveling by the same metro.

No serious injuries were caused in the shelling and no damage was reported in the subway, Anadolu Agency learned.

"However, the shelling of rubber bullets led to chaos and commotion on the station, and created fear among commuters both inside and outside the wagons," a witness said.

The protesters, mostly women, also raised vociferous slogans against the government, demanding justice for Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in the custody of the country's morality police in mid-September.

The videos from the metro incidents have been widely shared on social media, prompting strong and angry reactions.

Amini's tragic death came after she was detained for 'violating' the mandatory Hijab rules, prompting her family to allege she was beaten in police custody. Iranian authorities have, however, denied any foul play in her death.

The young woman's death has led to sweeping protests across Iran in recent months, with Western governments imposing a slew of sanctions on Iranian officials and entities for what they call "repression of protests."

Although the government has not yet come out with the official death toll, independent human rights watchdogs have put the toll at more than 350, including civilians and security forces.

More than a thousand people have also been arrested, with legal trials starting last week. So far, five people have been sentenced to death in preliminary verdicts while many others have been given jail terms ranging from five to 10 years.