Protests in Iran have been going on for more than a month. The authorities are trying to suppress them in every possible way, including blocking the Internet and detaining protesters.
Protests continue in Iran over the death of 22-year-old Kurdish girl Mahsa Amini. She was detained by the morality police on September 13 in Tehran for allegedly wearing the hijab incorrectly and died in hospital a few days later. According to relatives, the cause of death was beating during capture. The first protests broke out in Iran on September 16 during Mahsa’s funeral ceremony in his hometown of Sekkez and in the administrative center of Iranian Kurdistan, the city of Senendej, and then spread to most of the country.
Protest at Mahsa Amini’s grave
On October 26, when it was 40 days since Mahsa Amini’s death, protests were also held in many Iranian cities. Thousands of people took part in them, including doctors who oppose the presence in hospitals, where they take wounded demonstrators, security forces and intelligence officers. One of the loudest protests took place that day at Mahsa Amini’s grave in her hometown. Gathered there on the occasion of the end of 40-day mourning, men and women chanted slogans: “Women, life, freedom” and “Death to the dictator.”
According to Iranian activists, intelligence officials had previously threatened the family of the dead girl if there were protests at her grave. To prevent them, the police tried to block the entrance to the city. However, about 10 thousand people came to the city to participate in the protests. Schools were closed that day in Sekkez, apparently because of the flu wave. According to news agencies, to disperse the protesters, the Iranian police first used tear gas and then opened fire on the crowd.
More Iranians are protesting
For six weeks now, the protests in Iran have not subsided, and more and more residents of the country are participating in them. Many women joined the protesters. “We are very angry. I don’t believe this anger will pass quickly,” said Azadeh, 29, from Tehran. According to her, the fate of Mahsa Amini can happen to every woman in Iran. “We know how brutally the vice police treat us, but I still don’t wear the hijab. I used to do it often, like many other young women in Tehran do. But now it’s different. It’s not about my personal decision. Now this is a sign of unity,” said Azadeh.
She said that amid the protests, more Iranian women are showing courage and appearing on city streets without the traditional Muslim headdress. Many women who post pictures and videos of themselves without a hijab on the Internet no longer hide their faces, although they know that they could be jailed at any moment. As happened to documentary filmmaker Moizhan Ilanlu. Special services detained him on October 17, at that moment the woman was at home. In solidarity, she appeared with other Iranians in protests without a hijab and posted photos on social networks.
A student from Tehran on October 22 stands on a chair at Sharif University without a Muslim headdress. At the same time, the conservative rector of the university at that moment was in the front hall. So far, no punishment has been meted out to the student. In early October, security forces surrounded the university, where there are regular protests, beating students and teachers, and detaining several people.
Arrests of protesters
“Civilians but armed intelligence officers are everywhere,” a young woman from Tehran told DW. “They shoot people indiscriminately. in solidarity with the protesters.
“We have to pay a heavy price for fundamental changes in Iran,” said Alireza, 52, from Ghazvin. “But I’m afraid that many old people are not ready for this. are detained, do not go out to protest.”
On October 25, Tehran’s Attorney General Ali Salehi announced that four people imprisoned in the ongoing protests in Iran could face the death penalty. They were charged with “mokhareb” – “war against God”, which is qualified by Iranian law as a particularly serious crime and punishable by death.
In total, 315 people in the Iranian capital were accused of “gathering and conspiring to undermine the country’s security,” “propaganda against the government,” and “disturbance of public order and peace,” Salehi said. According to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights, 240 people were killed during the protests in different cities of Iran.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.