The people of Iran are once again taking to the streets their anger at the death of a young woman. There are hundreds arrested and dozens dead. However, the government sees no fault in the police.
Large numbers of people took to the streets in Iran over the weekend to protest the death of a young woman who was arrested by the vice squad. According to a report by state television, 41 people have been killed in the demonstrations so far. The human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) in Oslo put the number of demonstrators killed at 54. Most of the deaths were reported from the provinces of Gilan and Masandaran.
The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Friday last week. She had been arrested by the moral police because she had apparently not worn the Islamic headscarf in accordance with strict regulations. After her arrest, Amini collapsed under mysterious circumstances at the police station and was pronounced dead at the hospital three days later. Police say she had a heart attack.
According to human rights activists, the young woman suffered a fatal blow to the head. Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi denied this on Friday, saying Amini had not been beaten. However, the investigation into the cause of death is not yet complete.
Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests, which the security forces cracked down on. The human rights organization Amnesty International accused the security forces of “deliberately and unlawfully” using live ammunition to disperse protesters.
In Rasht, the capital of Gilan province, and in parts of the capital Tehran, protests broke out again on Saturday evening, as videos on the online networks showed. Hundreds of demonstrators and several activists and journalists have been arrested so far.
In northern Iran’s Gilan province alone, more than 700 people have been arrested since the protests began. According to the provincial police chief, the police arrested 739 “rioters” there, including 60 women. According to the non-governmental organization Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ), 17 journalists have also been arrested since the protests began.
The Iranian secret service claims to have foiled several bomb attacks during the protest demonstrations. According to an intelligence report, the attacks were planned by monarchy supporters and members of the People’s Mujahideen in the city of Tabriz in the north-west of the country. The suspects were then arrested.
Norway-based Kurdish human rights group Hengaw reported that protesters had “taken control” of parts of the city of Oshnaviyeh in western Azerbaijan province. The Iranian judicial authorities denied that the security forces had lost control of the city. The authorities said “rioters” had attacked three bases of the Basij militia.
Iran’s leading reform party, the Union of the Islamic People’s Party of Iran, has called for an end to the strict Islamic dress code and a moderation in the vice police. In addition, the government must “allow peaceful demonstrations” and release arrested demonstrators, the party said.
