IRAN: Iranian security agents Abriefly detained Amjad Amini, the father of Mahsa Amini, to prevent people from assembling at her grave on her death anniversary.
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Amjad Amini was temporarily detained by the security authorities, who warned him against commemorating his daughter’s passing on the anniversary.
The rights group reported that the Intelligence Division informed Amini that the family had no right to leave the house and not participate in the anniversary commemoration they had previously announced.
The family’s request for a religious ceremony was met with the closure of access roads to the cemetery in Aichi. The crackdown on Kurdish settlements has also involved helicopters and internet interference to prevent demonstrators from coordinating and congregating.
Protests in Tehran chanted, “Death to the dictator!” and “Woman, Life, Freedom!” People mounted roadblocks and honked their cars’ horns in a number of western Kurdish towns.
Amini died in police custody in Tehran after being detained for allegedly donning hijab incorrectly. Her death resulted in a months-long protest in Iran.
Amini’s mother expressed gratitude to those who offered love and comfort despite the sadness of the previous year. Her father claims she died in a morality police detention facility after being struck by authorities. The government claims she died from a neurological ailment she already had.
According to Iranian media reports, Amini’s family attorney, Saleh Nikbakht, was accused of “propaganda against the system”. If found guilty, he could face a one- to three-year prison sentence.
As per the statement by US President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, Amini’s story “did not end with her brutal death”. They added that she was the driving force behind the historic movement “Woman, Life, Freedom,” which had a profound impact on Iran and inspired activists for human rights and gender equality all over the world.
Amnesty Iran claims that the Iranian government has systematically violated women’s rights, executed hundreds without justification, and tortured thousands in response to mandatory veiling regulations.
Western nations, including Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK, have held commemorative protests.
The previous shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, criticized the opposition movement for its division and urged unity, stating, “we are all one nation and the national government in Iran belongs to all Iranians”.
Pahlavi emphasized the importance of Amini’s death anniversary and said, “we are entering a new phase of a campaign of resistance”.
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi is nearing the completion of a deal with the US that will release five American detainees in exchange for the release of five Iranians and over $6 billion in Iranian assets held in South Korea. Qatar has been acting as a middleman to prevent the money from being used to purchase weapons for Iran.
Republican Congress members are increasingly attacking the agreement, fearing it would encourage Iran to take more hostages. Canada’s foreign minister, Melanie Joly, and the US’s secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, will co-host a high-level dialogue on the Initiative against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations.
Also Read: Iran’s Controversial ‘Gender Apartheid’ Bill Seeks Harsh Punishments for Hijab Violations
