According to human rights organizations, at least 7 people lost their lives on Wednesday night in the cities of Sine, Kirmashan and Mahabad in East Kurdistan.

The nationwide protests were sparked by the torture to death of young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody on September 16.

Various sources report that more than 200 people have been killed in the cities of East Kurdistan and Iran so far. The actual death toll is believed to be much heavier.

Images circulated on social media networks show Basij militia violently responding to protesters in Kurdish cities.

The Basij was established as a paramilitary force affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. Fiercely loyal to the Islamic Republic, their troops are used to suppress dissenters.

Two sources speaking to Reuters reported that the Basij forces attacked protesters in Sine together with the state forces.

One of the witnesses revealed that hundreds of policemen and militia had been deployed to East Kurdistan and other cities of Iran.

“A few days ago, the Basij forces commenced fire on protesters in the cities of Sine and Bane, in defiance of their superior’s instructions,” the same witness said.

“The situation is worse in Seqiz. Basij militias are randomly shooting at people, houses, even non-activists,” the witness added.

A source in Sine told Reuters that hundreds of policemen raided houses and detained dozens of young people in the last 24 hours.

According to the source who wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons, similar reports came from Bane and Seqiz with dozens of young people, including children, being detained on Thursday, October 13.