Protests in Iran do not subside after the death – while in custody – of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old young woman arrested by the moral police in Tehran last week for not wearing the veil correctly. Popular anger was felt throughout the Islamic Republic and criticism against the agents of ‘Gasht-e Ershad’ also came from the President of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who called for an investigation into their actions. The state organization for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice has also made itself heard, arguing that the agents of this unit should not be able to “arrest ordinary citizens” who transgress the strict rules on clothing and social behavior.
Demonstrations were held for the fourth consecutive day: the epicenter of the protests, strongly repressed, is Iranian Kurdistan, the native province of Amini, but in recent days rallies with slogans against the Islamic Republic and the Supreme Guide, Ali Khamenei, continue to also held in the universities of Tehran, Tabriz and Yazd and in cities like Isfahan. Meanwhile, many women have filmed themselves burning their hijab or taking it off their heads, posting their photo on the web. The protests were also joined by a well-known footballer from Tehran’s Esteghlal, Zobeir Niknafs, who posted a video on social media in which he shaves his hair out of solidarity, as many women have been doing online for days, who also burn their veils. .
The authorities reacted with an iron fist. Tehran governor Mohsen Mansouri claimed that the mobilizations were “fully organized with the aim of creating unrest”. The UN said it was concerned about the repression of the protests and confirmed that “between two and five people were killed” during the demonstrations, where the police used “real bullets” and tear gas. According to Hengaw, a group to protect the human rights of the Kurds, two demonstrators died in the Kurdish city of Saqez, where Amini was born, two others in the city of Divandarreh and a fifth in Dehgolan, also in the Kurdish region. There would also be a fifth victim. According to CNN sources, 75 people were injured in other cities over the weekend. The hashtag #MahsaAmini continues to be one of the most viewed on social networks such as Twitter and Instagram.
The police denied any responsibility for the 22-year-old’s death, arguing that the young woman had “medical problems” and felt ill once she was taken to the police station, but human rights activists and associations have launched allegations of violence and abuse by the police. agents. Before leaving for the UN General Assembly in New York, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Mahsa Amini’s parents, expressed his condolences, ordered an investigation into the case, and stressed that Mahsa “was like a of our own daughters ». Words that were also repeated by the Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian. In this context, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk entered, who announced his intention to ask the US administration for an exemption from sanctions against Iran to offer, through its constellation of Starlink satellites, the services of Internet connection to the country. Here, as in other countries, uncomfortable news spreads on the Net and protests are organized. This is the case of Amini, so much so that activists have already begun to denounce the authorities’ squeeze on Internet access, for example in the city of Sanandaj, the epicenter of the demonstrations.