DUBAI: Protests continued in several cities across Iran on Thursday against the death of a young woman in police custody, state and social media reported, as a human rights group said at least 83 people had been killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations.

Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested this month in Tehran for “unsuitable attire” by the morality police that enforces the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women. Her death has sparked the first big show of opposition on Iran’s streets since authorities crushed protests against a rise in gasoline prices in 2019

At least 83 people including children are confirmed to have been killed in (the) #IranProtests,“ Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said on Twitter.

“Woman, Life, Freedom!” has become a new rallying cry in Iran where people are also singing the Persian version of “Bella Cioa” – the 19th century Italian folk song.

Despite the growing death toll and a fierce crackdown by authorities, videos posted on Twitter showed demonstrators calling for the fall of the clerical establishment in Tehran, Qom, Rasht, Sanandaj, Masjed-i-Suleiman and other cities.