Amid intense security measures across Iran, protests continued Saturday evening in at least nine cities. Multiple reports from social media and citizen journalists inside the country confirm that a new wave of arrests is taking place.
Protests took place in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran, Qom, Ahwaz and Karaj among others.
Hours later, on Sunday morning, senior intelligence and security officials had a closed session with Iran parliament members about the nationwide protests that were unique in several respects.
During this session, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi and Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli briefed the legislators on the demonstrations, Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) quoted an MP as saying on January 7.
Also present in the session was IRGC Deputy, Brigadier General Hossein Salami. Another MP has told the State TV (IRIB) that the Police Chief and Head of IRIB were other senior officials who were present.
Elsewhere in the world, some Iranians in different countries held rallies in support of those protesting the streets inside the country. Sweden, Norway, Canada and Australia were among the countries which were scenes of such rallies.
In Germany, home to some 200,000 Iranians or Germans of Iranian descent, support rallies were held in several cities.
In one instance, demonstrators gathered in front of a hospital run by internationally-acclaimed neurosurgeon Professor Majid Samii in Hanover.
The demonstrators protested against the hospitalization of Ayatollah Mahmood Hashemi-Shahroodi in the hospital.
The ayatollah is the current head of the Islamic Republic Expediency Council appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. He is reportedly one of the candidates to replace Khamenei upon his death.
While Saturday marked the tenth day since the anti-government protests started in Iran, news sources affiliated with the Islamic Republic have reported that the pro-government demonstrations are to continue for the fifth day, on Sunday, in some cities around the country.
The official death toll stands at 22 while opposition groups and activists say more than 40 protesters have been killed in clashes with regime’s security forces. Tehran says that 1800 people have been detained while opposition claims the number is in the thousands.
In an interview with Radio Farda, Shokoofeh Yadollahi, the mother of Kasra Noori who was arrested eight days ago, December 30, said her son was detained along with his friends by security forces who did not carry an arrest warrant who firing in the air and using tazers to subdue the group of four.
According to Mrs. Yadollahi, although her son has been arrested during protests, "he did not have anything to do with the demonstrations".
"They have said, the arrest has been done as a preventive measure, what do they mean by that? There is no such a law in our constitution", Mrs. Yadollahi told Radio Farda.
As of today, January 7, many on social media call for the protests to continue. This is the main reason the regime has heavily filtered and slowed down the internet while angry protesters keep saying on social media that they will not stop.
"We shall die, we shall die, till we take back our Iran", has been a popular chant during the past 10 nights.