Tehran [Iran], September 18: A member of Iran's notorious Basij paramilitary force was killed in an attack on Saturday evening in the southern province of Fars, the state news agency IRNA reported.
Two unidentified assailants on motorbike approached a group of Basij guards and then opened fire, killing one and wounding three others in the city of Nurabad.
The report said the attackers fled the scene but did not provide information on who the perpetrators may have been. The Basij force was established in the wake of the 1979 revolution that saw the monarchy abolished and an Islamic Republic declared.
The organisation operates under the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and plays a central role in suppressing protests - including the mass demonstrations that erupted last year in the wake of MahsaAmini's death while in police custody.
Saturday marked the first anniversary of the death of the Iranian Kurdish woman.
Amini, 22, was arrested by the country's morality police a year ago for allegedly violating the strict Islamic dress code. She fell into a coma under unexplained circumstances and died on September 16, 2022. Her death triggered large-scale protests all across the country.
Protests erupted throughout Iran on Saturday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of Amini.
Video obtained by CNN showed demonstrations throughout multiple cities in Iran, including capital city Tehran, Mashad, Ahvaz, Lahijan, Arak, and the Kurdish city of Senandaj.
Many of the protesters chanted, "Women, Life, Freedom" - a popular rallying cry used after nationwide protests erupted following Amini's death last year. Some protesters also chanted death slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Authorities deployed armed guards in many cities as a show of force and police officers were seen chasing protesters in the northern city of Lahijan.
Rallies commemorating Amini's death were held in other cities around the world like Paris, Brussels and Berlin. Many said they felt the need to raise their voices when so many in Iran could not.
Hundreds gathered in London on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary. "We just wanted to let everyone know that this is not going to finish," a female protester told CNN.
Source: Qatar Tribune