The Iranian prosecutor's office announced the opening of new legal proceedings against sports and cultural figures who supported the mass protests in the country, DPA reported, citing local media. The agency described this as a continuation of the repression against supporters of the protest movement, BTA reports.
According to information from the state-run IRIB radio and television, the prosecutor's office in Tehran has opened 15 new cases against celebrities. In addition, charges have been brought against 10 people who signed a solidarity declaration by representatives of the film industry.
The IRIB reported that at least 60 cafes are also under investigation for allegedly distributing calls in support of the protests on the nights of January 8 and 9, when repression against demonstrators intensified. Prosecutors have described the messages as "terrorist calls" and said the cafe owners would be held responsible for the consequences of the unrest.
Activists and human rights groups say thousands of people have been killed in two nights of unrest. Yesterday, Iranian police chief General Ahmad Reza Radan issued an ultimatum to protesters, calling on young people "unintentionally involved in the riots" to surrender to authorities within three days, promising more lenient treatment. Those who fail to do so will be considered “enemy soldiers“.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Iran in the coming days to discuss the “alarming violence“ used against protesters.
An Iranian official said at least 5,000 people had died during the protests, the country's largest since 2022. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk condemned the crackdown on Iranian protesters.