Five people were killed in Iran’s Kurdish region on Monday when security forces opened fire during protests over the death of a woman in police custody, a Kurdish rights group said, on a third day of turmoil over an incident that has ignited nationwide anger.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran’s Kurdistan province, fell into a coma and died following her arrest in Tehran last week by the morality police, sparking demonstrations in numerous areas including the capital.
Two of the people were killed as security forces opened fire on protesters in the Kurdish city of Saqez, Amini’s hometown, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization said on Twitter.
t said two more were killed in the town of Divandarreh “by direct fire” from security forces, and a fifth was killed in Dehgolan, also in the Kurdish region.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
There was no official confirmation of the deaths. The official news agency IRNA said there were “limited” protests in a number of cities in seven provinces that were dispersed by police.
State TV said that some protestors had been detained, but it refuted “some accusations of killings on social media” by airing footage of two injured youngsters who denied being killed.
The Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini received close to 2 million Twitter mentions during the widespread condemnations of Amini’s killing.
According to the authorities, Amini became ill as she was waiting with other women being detained by the morality police, who in the Islamic Republic enforce harsh laws mandating that women cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothing in public.
But despite the fact that she had bruises on her legs, her father insisted on numerous occasions that his daughter had no health issues. He blamed the police for her passing.
The Kurdish region has seen the most furious protests.
Rock-throwing individuals have moved closer to the police. A woman can be heard screaming, “Death to the dictator!”
Additionally, it posted video of what it claimed to be a demonstration against the paramilitary Basij force at a university in Tehran.
The videos could not be independently verified by Reuters.
It represents some of the greatest turmoil in Iran since street fights over water shortages started in late 2021.
“Unlucky occurrence”
For Amini’s passing, the US demanded accountability.
Mahsa Amini’s passing after suffering injuries while in police detention for donning a “improper” hijab, according to a White House official, is “an atrocious and heinous violation to human rights.”
