"With the member states we will continue to explore all the opportunities available to us including possibly restrictive measures to react to the killing of Mahsa Amini and the reactions to the demonstrations. When I say restrictive measures I am using the words of the Treaty: in the treaty it is not used the term sanctions, in the Treaty we speak of restrictive measures ".
This was stated by the high representative of EU foreign policy, Josep Borrell, speaking to the European Parliament with a report on the death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of protesters for women's rights in Iran.
"We are calling for an investigation to shed some light on the facts", said Borrell on the latest developments in Iran after the "hundreds" of protests for the death of Mahsa Amini, stigmatizing "a repression that today cost dozens of lives. of people".
"The internet has also been closed in many parts of the country - the EU High Representative also reported -. The Iranians thus lost access to information about what was happening and were unable to use online platforms to demonstrate the own dissent. This is a deliberate violation of freedom of expression. "
"I think it is important for the European Parliament to show a united reaction from the whole of the EU," said Borrell.
"As far as I am concerned with regard to the 27 member states, on their behalf on 26 September I expressed a firm criticism of the disproportionate use of repressions".
The death toll from the protest rises to 154, according to NGOs
The number of victims of the violent repression of the protests sparked by the death while he was under arrest of the young Mahsa Amini rises to at least 154 people killed.
The estimate was released by the NGO Iran Human Rights, which is based in Oslo in Norway.
According to information, the dead are spread across 17 provinces, notably Sistan, Baluchistan, Mazandaran, Gilan and western Azerbaijan.
In the city of Zahedan alone, 63 people died in the protests.
"The killing of protesters in Iran, in particular in Zahedan, is tantamount to crimes against humanity. The international community has a duty to investigate and prevent the Islamic Republic from committing others," said the director of the NGO, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
An update published today by the NGO reads: "It is believed that at least nine victims are under the age of 18, but not all of them have been verified through documentary evidence. Iran Human Rights is working to obtain confirmation of their age. Some were killed on the stroke, others died as a result of their injuries. The highest number of deaths was recorded on 21, 22 and 30 September ".
"Deaths were recorded in 17 provinces: Sistan and Baluchistan: 63 people; Mazandaran: 27 people; Gilan: 12 people; Western Azerbaijan: 11 people; Kurdistan: 8 people; Kermanshah: 7 people; Tehran: 6 people; Alborz: 5 people; Khorasan-Razavi: 3 people; Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad: 2 people; Isfahan: 2 people; Zanjan: 2 people; Qazvin: 2 people; Semnan: 1 person; Ilam: 1 person; Eastern Azerbaijan: 1 person; Bushehr : 1 person ".
"On September 30, people gathered after Friday prayers in Zahedan to protest the rape of a 15-year-old Baluch girl by the Chabahar police chief. The demonstration was bloodily suppressed by security forces. It has since been called Zahedan's Bloody Friday. The number of people killed was listed as 41 by the Baluch Activist Campaign, now updated to 63. Yesterday, four more Baluch citizens traveling in an open car were killed from a military helicopter north of Zahedan. Iran Human Rights did not take their deaths into account. "
Many of the injured are serious and it is feared that the toll could further worsen, continues the note from the NGO.
In recent days, the protests have mostly been in universities.