Protests in Iran: Two members of security forces killed

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Protests against the authorities over the death of Mahsa Amini are continuing in Tehran and elsewhere

By Alexandra Fouché

BBC News

Two members of Iran's security forces have been killed in continuing protests against the authorities, state media have said.

Videos on social media show students and schoolgirls joining the demonstrations across the country.

Dozens of protesters have been killed since unrest began last month following the death of a young woman in custody.

Mahsa Amini was detained in Tehran by the morality police for allegedly not covering her hair properly.

The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd died in custody on 16 September, three days after her arrest.

One member of the Basij paramilitary militia was "killed by rioters with a gunshot" at one of the protest sites in Tehran, according to Basij News, the official website run by the Basij organisation.

A member of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) was also killed on Saturday during protests in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province, Iranian media report.

At least 20 members of the IRGC, Basij and police forces have been killed over the past three weeks of protests, the media say.

Protests over the weekend were reported across the country, including Tehran and Sanandaj.

"Police forces used tear gas to disperse the crowds in dozens of locations in Tehran," the official news agency Irna reported, adding the demonstrators had "chanted slogans and set fire to and damaged public property, including a police booth and trash bins".

In similar protests in a number of other cities, demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails at mosques, Basij centres and imams' offices, the agency said.

Watch: The protests currently sweeping the country have their roots in changes made after the 1979 revolution

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for tough measures against anyone responsible for cracking down on the protests.

She described those who "beat up women and girls on the street" as being on the wrong side of history, and said she would ensure the EU imposed entry bans on individuals responsible and froze their assets.

And in Norway, the Iran Human Rights group have said 185 people had been killed since the unrest began.

"At least 185 people, including at least 19 children, have been killed in the nationwide protests across Iran. The highest number of killings occurred in Sistan and Baluchistan province with half the recorded number," it said on Saturday.

Separately on Saturday evening, state television was hacked by opponents of the government.

Pictures of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a target on his head appeared in a news bulletin, together with captions calling on people to join the protests.

Also on Saturday, female students at al-Zahra University Tehran were reported to have chanted "get lost" during a visit there by President Ebrahim Raisi.