Iranian security forces detained the father of the young Kurdish girl Mahsa Amini this Saturday, to pressure him not to celebrate the first anniversary of his daughter’s death, according to two human rights organizations.
The 22-year-old’s father, Amjad Amini, “was detained this morning by Iranian repressive forces” when he was leaving his home in Saqez, Kurdistan, “and returned hours later,” according to the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR). ). Non-governmental organization that opposes the Iranian regime based in Oslo, Norway.
This Saturday marks one year since the death of Masha Amini, after being detained by the Iranian customs police for not wearing the Islamic veil correctly, an episode that triggered unprecedented civic demonstrations against the theocratic regime in Tehran, which violently repressed the protests, which they still persist.
IHR’s information about the arrest was corroborated by the activist group Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which denounces human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan and attributes the arrest of Amjad Amini to the Revolutionary Guard, the ideological army of the Tehran regime. .
According to Hengaw, Amjad Amini was detained at least four times in recent weeks for questioning by various security forces, who pressured and disrespected him.
In information posted on their website, despite warnings from authorities, the Amini family said in a statement: “Like any grieving family, we, the Amini family, will gather at the grave of our beloved daughter, Jina ( Mahsa) Amini, on the anniversary of his death, and we will hold traditional and religious ceremonies.”
According to the two organizations, Masha Amini’s family home is “surrounded by military personnel” to prevent a religious ceremony from being held to mark the young woman’s death.
Iranian security forces imposed strong access restrictions to the cemetery where Amini is buried and where, the day after her death, the wave of civic protests began.
Under the slogans “women, life, freedom”, thousands of protesters called for the end of the regime, in protests that resulted in 500 deaths, including seven executed (one of them in public), and thousands of people detained.
In recent weeks, Iranian authorities have stepped up warnings and repressive measures in an attempt to prevent the first anniversary of Amini’s death from turning into new protests.
According to Amnesty International, dozens of relatives of people who died in the demonstrations were arbitrarily detained, at the same time that access restrictions were imposed to the places where they are buried, and there was even a record of destruction of tombstones.
Safa Aeli, Amini’s uncle, was arrested last week in Saqez, where he lives, and his whereabouts have been unknown since.
Amini was detained by Iranian customs police on September 13, 2022, for alleged misuse of the hijab, the Islamic veil, and was found dead three days later, while still in police custody.
Despite the visibility of the protests and international attention, the civic movement has not yet managed to threaten the foundations of the theocratic regime led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The United States, in coordination with the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, announced on Thursday the imposition of sanctions against 25 Iranian citizens (members of the security forces and the Revolutionary Guard), three intelligence agencies (Press TV and the Tasnim agencies and Fars). and a company “linked to internet censorship” in the country, all related to the repression of civic demonstrations.
The spokesman for Iranian diplomacy, Nasser Kanani, reacted today to the sanctions by calling them “interventionist statements” and “ridiculous and hypocritical spectacles.”
Source: TSF
