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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Iran’s Khamenei Praises Basij Forces for Confronting ‘Riots’

Basij Iran Ali Khamenei Revolutionary Guards Kurdish
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the country's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Basij militia forces sacrificed their lives in "riots" sparked by the death in custody of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in September. 

The Basij force, affiliated with the country's Revolutionary Guards, has been at the forefront of the state crackdown on protests that have spread across the country.  

"They have sacrificed their lives to protect people from rioters," Khamenei said in a televised speech.  

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