A wave of fresh protests erupted in Iran on Friday as the regime cut off internet access to multiple cities across the country, Iranian media and rights groups reported. The protests were reportedly sparked by the funerals of Iranian children killed by security forces, and they appeared to be gaining in intensity as Iran’s hardline Islamic rulers face their most significant challenge in decades.
Dozens of people attended the funeral of 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak in the city of Izeh. Video posted online shows Pirfalak’s mother telling people at the ceremony that her son was shot by security forces on Wednesday. Iranian officials say Pirfalak was killed in a “terrorist” attack.
In the town of Khomein, protesters reportedly lit the home of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on fire, citing videos posted to social media. The home had been turned into a museum commemorating Khomeini. Although on Friday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency denied the home was damaged.
At least 362 protesters, including 56 children, have been killed in the demonstrations that have rocked Iran since the killing in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September, according to Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
Initially led by women, the protests have grown into the largest anti-government demonstrations the regime has faced since it came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.