Tehran, Iran – Another round of counter-demonstrations have been organised in support of the Iranian state as protests that formed after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody on September 16 approach the end of their third week.
Pro-government demonstrations in northern Tehran began in the early afternoon on Wednesday and are expected to last several hours. Like the two previous rounds, they were announced via state media and mass text messages, and were expected to condemn “recent riots and the crimes of seditionists”. Wednesday marked the 19th day since the start of the protests, during which dozens have been killed and many arrested. The authorities have not released an official tally. Ali Salehi, the capital’s attorney general, announced Tuesday that 400 people arrested in “riots” in Tehran have been released so far after committing never to repeat their acts.
A senior lawmaker briefed by intelligence authorities said the same day that an unknown number of “leaders of the riots” will remain imprisoned.
With the school year having started, videos of school children and teenagers taking their hijabs off and chanting slogans have been widely shared on social media.
Source: aljazeera.com
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
