Iranian actor Sam Asghari slams Tehran over a crackdown on protests

Iranian American actor Sam Asghari, 28, has taken to social media to slam Tehran after nationwide mass protests against the regime. Asghari, husband of singer Britney Spears, on Friday, posted a video on Instagram, slamming the Iranian regime.

The actor reportedly said, “The biggest protest for basic human rights in Iran is happening as we speak. We’ve seen videos of people getting murdered and slaughtered on the streets, innocent people.”

He further said, “After 1979, the Iranian regime took over and forced its ideology and dictatorship on the people. The regime slaughtered and murdered innocent people. Iran is now known for being the biggest sponsor of terrorism.”

In his video, the actor also pointed to the 2019 demonstrations that saw hundreds of people killed by the regime in the country. He also slammed the government of Iran.

The massive protests in Iran were triggered by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police on September 16 for not wearing her Hijab (headscarf) correctly. Human rights activists said that the morality police were the reason for Amini’s death. Witnesses also said that the police beat Amini for wearing the Hijab loosely. 

Human rights groups said that social media sites, including Instagram and WhatsApp, have been disabled due to protests. 

According to an Oslo-based NGO, 31 civilians have been killed in an Iranian security forces crackdown on anti-hijab protests. Iran Human Rights (IHR) director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said that security forces used bullets to respond to protests. Many human rights activists said that the security forces fired tear gas on protesters. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said that security forces used violence against the protesters.

The UN's Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, also issued a statement on this matter.