The deputy minister says engagement sessions were held with experts and stakeholders from 2018 to 2020.

The deadliest unrest has taken place in the Kurdistan region, where state officials and activist websites have reported at least three people killed.

They say 'cowardly accusations' have been levelled against the Iranian police.

By Sunday afternoon the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini had reached 1.63 million mentions on Twitter.

Judges found it difficult to convict the man, who was then the head of East Aceh fishery agency and also married, because he denied all wrongdoings.

This is the latest step in the United Arab Emirates to maintain its competitive edge as a regional commercial hub.

It is unclear to what extent Waheedullah Hashimi's comments reflect the new government's policies, although they appear to go further than public comments made by some other officials.

A shariah court last month sentenced each man to 80 strokes, but they were caned 77 times after remission for time spent in prison.

A secular appeals court overturned the shariah court's sentence, saying the child was just a minor.