The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei has said in a speech that the protests must end and the protesters must be punished.

That was on Saturday. On Sunday, Angelina Jolie, 47, a Hollywood icon and a special representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, released photographs of some of the children who have died.

Sharing the images on Instagram, Jolie said: “Children have the right to protection from all kinds of harm. They also have the right to a voice. #MahsaAmini #worldchildrensday #UNCRC”

The post has been liked over 1.8 million times.

Khamenei, 83, during his speech on Saturday to people in Isfahan, called the supporters of the nationwide protests in Iran “the stage managers of evil” and threatened that “the scale of their evil will be gathered”. He also said they were “despicable” for causing “damage to the system”.

Iranian forces have been cracking down on waves of civil disorder following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, who was on a visit to Tehran when she was arrested by morality police, accused of violating hijab rules on 13th September.

She was allegedly beaten while in custody and spent the following days in a coma in the hospital before succumbing in the ICU on 16th September.

The clinic where she was treated said in a now-deleted social media post that she had been admitted brain-dead.

Alleged medical scans of her skull leaked by hackers showed that she had suffered bone fractures, haemorrhages, and brain oedema.

Independent Iranian media have claimed that Mahsa’s medical records showing her history of heart disease were faked by the Iranian government.

Numbers differ regarding how many people have been killed since the protests began.

The ongoing protests in Iran have killed at least 416 people, including 51 children, and injured at least 1,160, according to independent estimates.

It is also understood that more than 17,400 people have been arrested so far.