At least 10,000 people defied the regime’s bans and walked to the young woman’s grave 40 days after her death
Law enforcement officers opened fire and used tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered in Saqqez, Iranian Kurdistan, to commemorate Mahsa Amini 40 days after her death, during an arrest triggered because she was not wearing the veil correctly.
The Iranian agency Isna reported on the clashes after the first news appeared on social media. In the morning a large crowd had gathered in the cemetery where the girl is buried to commemorate her. Isna had spoken of “about 10 thousand people”.
Dozens of people arrested. According to the AFP, over a thousand demonstrators have so far been indicted in Iran in connection with the protests.
The crowd gathered today at the young woman’s tomb, on the 40th day of her death which is traditionally celebrated in Iran as the end of mourning. “Down with the dictator”, “Kurdestan, the tomb of the fascists”, “women, life, freedom” and “we are all Mahsa, you fought and we too will fight”, were some of the slogans shouted by the demonstrators who went to the tomb on footafter the government’s decision to close the roads leading to the cemetery to avoid protests
People gather to shout “freedom” outside the cemetery where Mahsa (Zhina) Amini lays to rest in the Kurdish city of Saqqez, western Iran, 40 days after her death in police custody.
?: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights pic.twitter.com/nhSTUV2zjC
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) October 26, 2022
The girl’s case has led to demonstrations across the country that continue after more than a month.
Iran?s national protests are entering week six. In Saqez, hometown of Mahsa Amini, thousands of people ignore government road closures to walk to her gravesite on the 40th day of her death. A growing number of young women refuse to wear compulsory hejab. pic.twitter.com/aMsbKz9MGX
— Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) October 26, 2022
It is not clear whether Masha’s family members were also present at the demonstration at the cemetery. According to the Irna news agency, the family has decided not to organize a ceremony in memory of the victim, but a source close to Mahsa’s relatives has denied the BBC such a statement.
Iranian activists also report that Tehran authorities allegedly threatened Mahsa’s brother if a memorial ceremony was held.. But according to the collective of opposition activists «1500tasvir» protests for Mahsa took place today also in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran and in the universities of Tehran, Mashhad in the north-east and Ahvaz in the south-west.
Kurdistan Governor Esmail Zarei Koosha said the situation in Saqqez is calm and denied that the roads have been closed to traffic: but Iran has blocked internet access in the city “for security reasons”. “The internet connection has been cut in Saqqez for security reasons,” said the Isna agency.
Iran Human Rights, a human rights NGO based in Norway, denounced that at least 234 protesters, including 29 children, were killed by security forces since the beginning of the violent repression of what Iranian leaders have called “riots” fomented by foreign enemies.
The climber Elnaz Rekabi – ended up under house arrest after returning to Tehran last week after competing without a veil at the Asian Championships in South Korea – posted a message to Mahsa on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of her. “These days my heroes are people who pay a heavy price to have a normal life,” she wrote. “Having a safe, normal and free life is a right of all human beings.”
October 26, 2022 (change October 26, 2022 | 16:29)
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