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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 29 November 2022
Iranian general acknowledges over 300 dead in unrest

By The Associated Press a shadow over the World
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- Cup, with some Iranians
ates (AP) — An Iranian gen- actively rooting against
eral on Monday acknowl- their own national team
edged that more than 300 because they see it as be-
people have been killed ing linked to the govern-
in the unrest surrounding ment.
nationwide protests, giving The niece of Iran’s Su-
the first official word on ca- preme Leader Ayatollah Ali
sualties in two months. Khamenei recently called
That estimate is consider- on people to pressure their
ably lower than the toll re- governments to cut ties
ported by Human Rights with Tehran over its violent
Activists in Iran, a U.S.- suppression of the demon-
based group that has been strations.
closely tracking the pro- In a video posted online by
tests since they erupted af- her France-based brother,
ter the Sept. 16 death of a Farideh Moradkhani urged
young woman being held “conscientious people of
by the country’s morality the world” to support Ira-
police. nian protesters. The video
The activist group says 451 was shared online this
protesters and 60 secu- week after Moradkhani’s
rity forces have been killed In this picture released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme reported arrest on Nov. 23,
since the start of the unrest Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with a group of Basij paramilitary force according to the activist
in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 26, 2022.
and that more than 18,000 Associated Press group.
people have been de- Moradkhani is a long-time
tained. the commander of the act figure or say where his by Iran’s enemies, includ- activist whose late father
The protests were sparked aerospace division of the estimate came from. ing Western countries and was an opposition figure
by the death of 22-year- paramilitary Revolutionary Authorities have heavily re- Saudi Arabia, without pro- married to Khamenei’s sis-
old Mahsa Amini, who was Guard, was quoted by a stricted media coverage viding evidence. The pro- ter and is the closest mem-
detained for allegedly vio- website close to the Guard of the protests. State-linked testers say they are fed up ber of the supreme leader’s
lating the Islamic Repub- as saying that more than media have not reported after decades of social family to be arrested.
lic’s strict dress code. They 300 people have been an overall toll and have and political repression, “I ask the conscientious
quickly escalated into calls killed, including “martyrs,” largely focused on attacks and deny having any for- people of the world to
for the overthrow of Iran’s an apparent reference to on security forces, which eign agenda. stand by us and ask their
theocracy and pose one of security forces. officials blame on shad- The protests have spread governments not to react
the most serious challenges He also suggested that owy militant and separatist across the country and with empty words and slo-
to the ruling clerics since many of those killed were groups. drawn support from artists, gans but with real action
the 1979 revolution that ordinary Iranians not in- Hajizadeh reiterated the athletes and other public and stop any dealings with
brought them to power. volved in the protests. official claim that the pro- figures. this regime,” she said in her
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, He did not provide an ex- tests have been fomented The unrest has even cast video statement. q

Police smash European cocaine ‘super cartel,’ arrest 49

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN joined forces to take down pean Union crime agency also played a role in bring- erlands in 2020 and 2021.
Associated Press a “super cartel” of drugs said on Monday. ing down the organization, The 37-year-old man with
BRUSSELS (AP) — Law en- traffickers controlling about Europol said 49 suspects which was also involved in both Dutch and Moroccan
forcement authorities in six one third of the cocaine have been arrested during money laundering, Europol nationality is also being
different countries have trade in Europe, the Euro- the investigation, with the said. “The scale of cocaine prosecuted for laundering
latest series of raids across importation into Europe un- large amounts of money
Europe and the United der the suspects’ control and possession of firearms.
Arab Emirates taking place and command was mas- Police started investigat-
between Nov. 8-19. sive,” Europol said, add- ing him after investigators
The agency said police ing that the suspects used cracked the encrypted
forces involved in “Opera- encrypted communica- messaging service Sky
tion Desert Light” targeted tions to organize drugs ship- ECC, which is popular with
both the “command-and- ments. The Netherlands was criminals.
control center and the lo- the country where most A 40-year-old Dutch-Bos-
gistical drugs trafficking in- of the arrests were made, nian citizen was also ar-
frastructure in Europe.” with 14 suspects arrested in rested in Dubai following
Over 30 metric tons (33 2021. Europol said six “high- an investigation based on
tons) of drugs were seized value targets” were arrest- intercepted Sky messages,
during the investigations ed in Dubai. according to Dutch police.
run in Spain, France, Bel- Dutch authorities said one He is suspected of im-
gium, the Netherlands and of the suspects arrested porting into Europe co-
This Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, file photo shows the sun bouncing the UAE with the support of in Dubai allegedly im- caine and raw materi-
off the Europol headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. Europol. The U.S. Drug En- ported thousands of kilos als for the production of
Associated Press forcement Administration of cocaine into the Neth- amphetamines.q