Mahsa’s death ignites Iran, reports 9 deaths, hundreds of injured
ERBIL, KRI, IRAQ (North Press) – The death of Mahsa Amini (Zhina), four days ago, angered people in all Kurdish cities in Iran that was met with violent crackdown by the authorities resulted in nine deaths, including a woman, as hundreds of others were injured.
Iran cities, notably the Kurdish predominate ones, in southeast the country witnessed protests for the fourth successive day on the background of the death of the Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police in Tehran last week.
Spread of protests
Amini’s death ignited a wide spread popular anger, protesting against a number of issues including freedom of speech, security and the deteriorating economic situation in the country.
Mahsa Amini, known as Zhina, was killed by the morality police after receiving a deadly blow at the head while she was on a visit to her maternal uncle on September 16 according to her family.
She was arrested as she did not abide by the Muslim attire codes in the Islamic Republic, as the authorities alleged.
Protests erupted when the body of Amini was transferred from Tehran to her birth place in the town of Saqez south Iran on September 17, in the funeral procession in hundreds of locals took part, Arsalan Yarahmadi, in charge of website of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, told North Press.
Deaths on the rise
Late on September 20, a number of cities southeast Iran, known as Rojhelat or Eastern Kurdistan, witnessed mass protests with tens of men and women, taking to street and chanting anti-government slogans.
Tears gas, batons and live ammunition were used by the Iranian police to disperse protesters as it dealt with protests in the last three days.
Yarahmadi said the outcome of those lost lives in the last four days reached nine, six in the Kurdish cities and three others, including a woman, in Karaj, Tehran and Tabriz. Some 450 individuals were injured.
Additionally, a person was killed by police in Piranshahr and another in Urmia where nighttime protests erupted in line with 12 other cities in the country including the Kurdish areas.
In an attempt to calm down the situation, one of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assistants offered his condolences to “Amini’s” family, saying Khamenei was touched by her death.
Footage went viral on social media outlets, showing women in mass protests. However, North Press could not verify the cities where such protests took place.
In another footage, a woman was show burning a hijab chanting famous slogans of Kurdish women, which means in English “women is life and freedom.”
Protests were seen in other countries like Toronto in Canada, home to a large Iranian colony.
Official version is a lie
While Iranian authorities claim Amini had a brain failure, her family, activists and social media users stress the version of the authorities is a fake one, and that she was “killed.”
On September 14, Amini went into a coma (after an attack), she died three days later as she was waiting along other women detained by the morality police that imposes strict rules on women attire, forcing them to wear loose-fitting clothing.
Active human rights websites quoted Mahsa’s father as saying that he demanded he obtains footage of cameras inside the car as well CCTV footage of the police to document her death, “however, they did not reply.”
Amjad Amini, father of Mahsa, said his daughter had no history of health-related disorders, adding she was hit in her leg while in custody.
He held police the responsibility for her death.
International positions
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly said her country is watching the events in Iran closely.
In her speech made to journalists on September 20 during the meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Joly called for an overall investigation into conduct of the “Iranian regime.”
Nada al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said “Mahsa Amini’s tragic death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority.”
Other western governments called for investigating the death of Amini at a time Washington and a number of European countries hold talks with Iran to reach an agreement on its nuclear program.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that Mahsa Amini “should be alive today. Instead, the United States and the Iranian people mourn her. We call on the Iranian government to end its systematic persecution of women and allow peaceful protest.”
French Foreign Ministry said France condemned the arrest of Amini and condemns violence that caused her death, calling for a transparent investigation.