Iran protests caused by ‘reduced trust in govt bodies’

Monitoring Desk

ISTANBUL: Reduced public trust in government bodies caused late December unrest in Iran, a report released by the country’s Interior Ministry revealed.

According to the report, which was also presented to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the weaknesses of public institutions and organizations in responding to the society’s problems triggered the turmoil.

The report, which is also available on the website of the ministry, said another reason for the crisis was the ac-cumulation of unfulfilled de-mands and increased expec-tations, regardless of the res-ources and facilities in the country.

Moreover, the report claimed that the role of some countries, especially the U.S., also influenced the events.

On Dec. 28, 2017, thousands took to the streets in Iran’s northeastern cities of Mashhad and Kashmar to protest against rising inflation, unemployment and perceived government mismanagement. The protests later t-urned into anti-regime rallies, spreading to the Tehran, Ker-manshah, Sanandaj, Zanjan, Ahvaz and Arak provinces.

More than 20 people were killed in the demonstrations, including at least one police officer, while more than 1,000 others were detained by authorities.