The incident comes amid a renewed wave of protests in Iran to commemorate the bloody crackdown in 2019.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show the home of the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, burning, which activists said was burned by protesters – a claim denied by state media.
Both Reuters and Agence France-Presse said on Friday that they had verified the websites of videos showing the late leader’s house on fire, with crowds of anti-government demonstrators marching in the city of Khomein in Markazia province.
However, the semi-official Tasnim news agency denied that Khomeini’s house had been set on fire, saying that a few people had gathered outside the house.
“The report is a lie. The doors of the house of the late founder of the Great Revolution are open to the public,” Tasnim news agency said.
News agencies have not been able to independently verify the dates the videos were filmed. An activist with the 1500 Tasfer network said the incident took place on Thursday.
The late leader’s house was turned into a museum after his death in 1989.
The videos emerged as nationwide protests swept cities in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mohsa Amini in mid-September. She died in the custody of the morality police after being detained for not adhering to the country’s dress code for women.
This week saw a renewed wave of demonstrations to commemorate the previous round of deadly protests in 2019, when hundreds of people were killed taking to the streets after fuel price hikes.
Many cities across the country witnessed chaotic scenes, with the deadliest incident occurring on Wednesday night in the southwestern city of Izeh, in Khuzestan province, when at least seven people died – including two boys aged between 9 and 13.
Anti-government Iranians blamed the authorities for these incidents, while Iranian authorities said two “terrorists” on a motorbike opened fire on a crowd using an assault rifle.
On Tuesday, at least three protesters were killed in protests that broke out in three separate cities, according to foreign rights groups.
At least five people have so far been sentenced to death in cases linked to the demonstrations, according to Iran’s judiciary.
Foreign human rights organizations have estimated that nearly 400 people have been killed since the protests began, but Iranian authorities have yet to release official statistics.
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