G7 countries condemn crackdown on protesters in Iran

 G7 foreign ministers have strongly condemned the Iranian government's deadly crackdown on protesters, while a religious leader has called on the government to hold a referendum.

According to Arab News, the ministers said in a joint statement after the meeting in Germany on Friday that "We condemn the inappropriate and cruel use of force by the Iranian government against peaceful protesters."

He further said that 'We support the right of Iranians to access information and also condemn the Iranian government's reduction of space for civil life and free press.'

The statement also termed the targeting of human rights activists, social media and internet shutdowns as cruel measures.

Similarly, the foreign ministers criticized Iran's subversive activities in the Middle East, including its supply of weapons and drones to state and non-state actors.

"Such escalating actions are dangerous for the region and exacerbate the already existing tensions."

It should be noted that the wave of intense protests in Iran began to spread on September 16 when a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for not wearing the hijab properly, died in police custody.

The protests spread to other cities, including Tehran, where mostly women participated.

During the protests, women threw off their hijabs and also cut their hair.

He also demanded the removal of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Seeing the growing protests, the Iranian government started a brutal crackdown on the protesters.

Anti-government groups say that more than 500 people have been killed so far during the crackdown, while 25,000 have been arrested so far.

On Friday, protests continued in the cities of Zahedan, Khash, Saravan, Shahr of Sistan Balochistan.

Sistan-Baluchistan is a backward province located near Pakistan and Afghanistan that has been a hotbed of unrest.

According to reports, a large number of protesters also clashed with the security forces. Protesters entered government buildings and burnt several vehicles, while firing was also fired at security personnel, injuring several people.

In a video shared on social media, a destroyed bank and shops can be seen while smoke is billowing from a building.

A religious leader from Zahedan has called on the Iranian government to hold a referendum to find out what the people want.