With strict security precautions, the Iranian security apparatus placed the Kurdish regions in a state of emergency on the anniversary of the death of protest icon Jina Mahsa Amini. Amini’s father was temporarily detained and interrogated by Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) units in her hometown of Saghes on Saturday, several Kurdish human rights groups reported.
Amini’s family is said to have been intimidated in recent weeks. Eyewitnesses reported on Friday that military units and other emergency services had been relocated to towns around Saghes. Many new surveillance cameras have also been installed. Residents of the Kurdish areas also spoke of increased controls.
This Saturday marks the first anniversary of Amini’s death, which triggered the worst uprisings in Iran in decades in autumn 2022. Islamic moral watchdogs arrested the then 22-year-old because she was allegedly wearing a headscarf incorrectly. What exactly happened afterwards remains unclear to this day – the young woman ultimately fell into a coma and died in a hospital. Amini’s parents early on expressed doubts about the state’s claim that their daughter had died as a result of an illness. They gave numerous interviews to local and international media and thus found themselves in the crosshairs of the judiciary. Thousands of people flocked to Amini’s funeral.
The protests spread from the Kurdish regions. As a result, the young generation in particular took to the streets against the repressive policies of the Islamic leadership under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The state authorities violently suppressed the protests that had kept the country in suspense for months. At the behest of the Iranian judiciary, seven men were executed in connection with the demonstrations. As a sign of silent protest, many women still ignore the obligation to wear a headscarf – this has never happened to this extent in Iran before.
Amini’s hometown of Saghes was sealed off before the anniversary of her death, residents of the area reported. There were initially no calls for protests out of concern that the emergency services would again resort to violence. People in the Kurdish areas still wanted to mark the anniversary of his death, for example by closing shops. According to a report by the Tasnim news agency, Iran’s secret service arrested several residents in the Kurdish areas. In other cities, too, the power apparatus took precautions against possible new protests. While everyday life has largely been the norm in the past few days, more police officers were seen around public places, especially after dark.
Rallies worldwide
While demonstrators in Iran fear for their safety, rallies and demos are planned in Germany and other countries to mark the anniversary. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised the people of Iran further support against oppression. “We are putting the fate of the people in Iran on the agenda in Brussels, New York and Geneva,” explained the Green Party politician, who is currently in the USA. There on Friday (local time) she met the daughter of the German-Iranian Djamshid Sharmahd, who was sentenced to death in Iran on terror charges. He is one of several Germans imprisoned in Iran.
Before the explosive date, the USA and the EU imposed new sanctions in connection with the brutal suppression of the protests. Washington announced on Friday punitive measures against 25 Iranian individuals, three Iranian state-backed media outlets and an Iranian company that conducts internet research. US President Joe Biden had previously assured the protesters of continued support. According to information from Friday, four people and six institutions and companies are affected by the EU punitive measures. These include two high-ranking police officers, a representative of the elite unit of the Iranian armed forces, as well as several prisons and the Tasnim news agency, which the EU accuses, among other things, of publishing false confessions from protest participants.