According to civil rights activists, protests unleashed in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini continue. Iranian human rights group Hengaw said protests and strikes had erupted in four cities after a call for mass demonstrations today. In the Kurdish towns of Sakkes and Sanandaj, security forces fired on protesters and used tear gas.
Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13 for allegedly violating rules on wearing a headscarf. She died three days later. There is conflicting information about the circumstances of her death. According to state information, a coroner concluded that Amini had died not from being beaten in police custody, but from a previous illness.
Parents deny accusations
Amini’s parents have repeatedly denied their daughter’s previous illness in recent weeks. She was perfectly healthy until she was arrested by the religious police and all claims to the contrary were lies, the family said.
The death of the young Kurd set off a nationwide wave of protests, which have long been directed against the country’s leadership and restrictions on civil liberties in general.