Tens of thousands of government supporters rallied across Iran yesterday to call for the punishment of opposition leaders for fomenting unrest after June’s disputed presidential poll, state media reported.
Hardline rulers intensified a crackdown on the reform movement on Sunday by rounding up leading moderates to try to end street protests after deadly weekend clashes erupted during the Shiite Muslim religious ritual of Ashura.
At least 18 opposition figures have been arrested since Sunday, including three senior advisers to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, his brother-in-law and a sister of Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, opposition Web sites reported. Ebadi confirmed her sister’s arrest.
The powerful Revolutionary Guards issued a statement yesterday accusing foreign media and enemies of the revolution of joining hands to harm Iran’s establishment.
Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran yesterday over criticism of its crackdown on opposition protests, Britain’s Foreign Office said, adding that the envoy would respond “robustly” to any criticism and reiterate that Iran must respect human rights.
Tens of thousands of people chanted “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for our Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]”, state TV reported, saying the nationwide demonstrations had taken place spontaneously.
“Demonstrators demand the punishment of those behind Sunday’s protests which insulted religion,” state TV reported, referring to the protests during Ashura.
The scale of yesterday’s demonstrations could not be independently verified because of restrictions on foreign media’s movements.
Iranian authorities say eight people were killed in clashes on Sunday. Police said the “suspicious deaths” were being investigated, adding dozens of security men were injured in the clashes.
Authorities blame what they call foreign-backed “terrorist groups” for the killings, including the death of Mousavi’s nephew, Ali Habibi Mousavi Khamene.
Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani urged the judiciary to arrest those behind Sunday’s rally: “Identify them, arrest them and firmly punish those who insulted religion.”
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
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