Iran's security forces briefly detain Mahsa Amini's father

In the midst of a significant security presence on the first anniversary of his daughter’s passing while in Iranian police custody, which spurred months of anti-government protests, Mahsa Amini’s father was briefly detained on Saturday, according to human rights organisations.

Before being freed, Amjad Amini received a warning not to commemorate the passing of his daughter, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. Amjad Amini was neither imprisoned or issued a warning, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, which also disputed that he had been arrested.

Amini’s residence in Saqez, western Iran, has been surrounded by security personnel, according to accounts from rights organisations and social media.

The death of the Kurdish lady, 22, who was being held by the morality police last year after she allegedly violated the Islamic Republic’s mandated dress code, led to months of demonstrations that were the largest display of defiance against the ruling class in years.

More than four decades of Shi’ite clerical control were criticised by many.

Social media reports claim that Amini’s parents declared earlier this week that they would hold a “traditional and religious anniversary ceremony” at their 22-year-old daughter’s tomb in Saqez despite government warnings.

According to human rights organisations, a sizable security force deployment was made on Saturday in Iran’s primarily Kurdish regions in preparation for unrest.

Numerous cities in Iran’s Kurdistan region reported widespread strikes.

Saqez, Amini’s hometown, was reportedly “completely quiet,” according to IRNA, and strikes in Kurdish regions had been resisted “by the people’s vigilance and the presence of security and military forces.”

According to a Kurdistan government official who was quoted by the article, “a number of agents affiliated with counter-revolutionary groups who had planned to create chaos and prepare media fodder were arrested in the early hours of this morning.”

More than 500 people were killed in the protests that erupted after Amini’s death, including 71 kids, hundreds were hurt, and thousands were detained, according to rights organisations. Seven executions related to the riots were carried out in Iran.

Amnesty International stated in a report from last month that Iranian authorities “have been arbitrarily arresting and detaining victims’ families, imposing cruel restrictions”.

Iranian and Western human rights organisations report that numerous journalists, lawyers, activists, students, academics, artists, public figures, members of ethnic minorities accused of links to the protest wave, as well as relatives of protesters killed in the unrest, have been detained, summoned, threatened, or fired from jobs over the past few weeks.

In August, the Iranian newspaper Etemad stated that the family’s attorney was also accused of “propaganda against the system.” If found guilty, Saleh Nikbakht could spend one to three years in jail.

(With agency inputs)