The death of Iranian young woman Mahsa Amini who died in custody after being arrested by the morality police triggered protests. At least 450 people have been arrested in a northern province of Iran, during the last 10 days of protests, as reported by British media The Guardian.
The death of the 22–year–old, who refused to wear a hijab on a visit to Tehran and was arrested by the morality police. During the arrest, Amini suffered a concussion from the blow to the head. She fell into a coma and later died.
Her death quickly became a potent symbol of defiance for a minority group that had long harboured nationalistic ambitions, which rarely stayed hidden, and often eschewed the values of the country’s hardline leaders.
Iranians from across the country were outraged by the death of Amini and soon protesters on the streets of most of the country’s provinces were testing the limits of state forces. «It is not an Iranian revolution, or even a Kurdish revolution,» said Rozhin, 25, from the Kurdish city of Kermanshah, said to The Guardian, «It is a women’s revolution.»
Demonstrations against the theocratic state’s stance towards women show little sign of slowing down in many parts of Iran.
Women, who bear the brunt of state constraints, have been particularly vocal, tearing down pictures of Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the assassinated general Qassem Suleimani. Both acts were unthinkable even months ago, but so too was the spectacle of large numbers of women – Kurdish, Persian and minorities – taking to the streets without hijabs.
«There is no doubting the Kurdish revolutionary fervour that Mahsa Amini’s death has sparked among Iran’s long-oppressed Kurdish population,» said Ranj Aladdin, senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. «But her brutal death has come to symbolise something much bigger than the Kurdish cause in Iran that strikes at the very heart of the political and ideological system that underpins the Islamic Republic.»
Rozhin says the aftermath of the demonstrations is not being considered, for now. «Women are struggling so much with so many problems. It’s obvious that people do not only have an issue with the hijab, but the system of government. They have changed the definition of Islam. They are killing many people. They are denying every single right of women. They don’t allow us to choose. It’s not only about the hijab issue – it’s about our right to make choices.»
The official death toll of the protests is 41, but human rights groups say the true number is more than 75.
Amnesty International said at least four children had been killed by state forces since the beginning of the protests.
It described a «harrowing pattern» of «deliberate and unlawful firing of live ammunition at protesters».
Parents of young people killed during the protests have expressed disappointment at the response from the international community. «People expect the UN to defend us and the protesters,» said the father of 21–year–old Milan Haghigi.
Meanwhile, Canada will impose sanctions on those responsible for the death of Amini, including Iran’s morality police unit and its leadership, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, 26 September.
«We’ve seen Iran disregarding human rights time and time again, now we see it with the death of Mahsa Amini and the crackdown on protests,» Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
Also on Monday, 26 September, Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin to urge Tehran to stop its crackdown and allow peaceful protests. Asked about the possibility of further sanctions on Tehran in response to the violence.