International Desk, Sep 16 (EFE).- Iranian security forces on Saturday temporarily detained the father of Mahsa Amini, exactly a year after the young woman died in custody after being arrested for not wearing a hijab or Islamic veil, to prevent him from marking his daughter’s death anniversary.
“On the anniversary of Jina #MahsaAmini’s state-murder, her father Amjad Amini was arrested by repressive forces this morning while leaving his home in Saqqez and returned to his house hours later,” Oslo-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights said on X, formerly Twitter.
The nonprofit added that Amini’s house in the Iranian Kurdistan region “is currently surrounded by military and security forces” to prevent the commemoration of the 22-year-old’s death a year later.
The security forces have also imposed severe restriction at the Aichi cemetery, where Mahsa Amini is buried and which was the scene of protests that broke out a day after her death on Sep. 16, 2022.
Another anti-Tehran NGO, Hengaw, also confirmed Amjad’s arrest and the security measures at the cemetery.
Amini’s death had triggered massive protests in Iran with the slogan “woman, life, freedom!” as protesters for months called for an end to the Islamic Republic and were met with heavy state repression in which around 500 people – the majority women – were killed, thousands arrested, and seven protesters were executed. One of the executions was carried out publicly.
In recent weeks, Iranian authorities have issued warnings and intensified repressive measure to prevent the young woman’s death anniversary from becoming an occasion for fresh protests and calls for freedom.
Families of dozens of victims of state repression have faced arbitrary arrests, restrictions on peaceful gatherings near their graves and even destroyed gravestones, according to nonprofit Amnesty International.
The most well-known incident is linked to Amini’s uncle Safa Aeli, who was arrested last week from her house in Saqez in Iranian Kurdistan, with her whereabouts still being unknown, according to activists.
int/ia
