'Death to the dictator': 17 killed in Iran's anti-hijab upheaval after Mahsa Amini's death

Tehran: As many as 17 people have lost their lives in Iran, as the nation continues to witness mass protests against the death of a 22-year-old woman, named Mahsa Amini, in morality police custody, local media reported.

Among those killed in clashes have been police and militia officers, while overseas-based human rights groups reported many more deaths, which could not be independently verified, AFP reported.

In several videos appearing on social media, protestors could be heard shouting ‘Death to the dictator’ and ‘Woman, life, freedom’ during the biggest wave of protests to rock the country in almost three years.

Who is Mahsa Amini?

Amini, 22, died while being held by the morality police for violating the country’s strictly enforced Islamic dress code. Anger has seen women remove their mandatory headscarves, or hijabs, from covering their hair after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was picked up by morality police over her allegedly loose headscarf.

Several videos have emerged online showing women twirling them overhead, chanting. Others have burned them or cut off locks of their own hair in rage.

Activists have said that Amini, whose Kurdish first name is Jhina, after her detention in Tehran suffered a fatal blow to the head — a claim denied by officials, who have announced an investigation.

Protests turn violent

According to reports, security forces in Iran fired at crowds with birdshot and metal pellets, and also deployed tear gas and water cannon.

Moreover, there were fears violence could escalate further after Iranian authorities restricted internet access and blocked messaging apps including WhatsApp and Instagram, as they have done before past crackdowns.

The protests come at a particularly sensitive time for the leadership, as the Iranian economy remains mired in a crisis largely caused by international sanctions over its nuclear programme.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden in an address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday said that “we stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights”.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, speaking later in the same forum, complained of a “double standard” and pointed to Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories and the deaths of indigenous women in Canada.

Internet services suspended in Iran

The Fars news agency in Iran reported that “in accordance with a decision by officials, it has no longer been possible to access Instagram in Iran since (Wednesday) evening and access to WhatsApp is also disrupted”.

The two apps were the most widely used in Iran after the blocking of other platforms in recent years, including Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, YouTube and TikTok.

(With inputs from agencies)

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