protests
Iran: Crowds flock to Mahsa Amini’s tomb
Protests in Tehran (photo taken on Monday, September 19, 2022). photo
© Uncredited/AP/dpa
The traditional period of mourning after the death of the Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini is over. And again crowds are on the streets to express their anger and sadness.
40 days after the death of the young Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, crowds have taken to the streets of Iran. In her hometown, people flocked to the grave along a main road, the Hammihan newspaper reported. In Iran, people traditionally mourn the death of a family member for 40 days.
Activists had previously called for nationwide protests on the day of mourning. Security forces reportedly fired on demonstrators in several cities.
In the capital Tehran, security forces used tear gas against a demonstration by doctors. The doctors demonstrated on Wednesday against the presence of security forces in the clinics, where participants in the protests are also treated. Eyewitnesses confirmed a massive presence of police officers and checks on the main streets in Tehran. Many shops were closed for fear of riots. The situation in Tehran was tense. In many places, demonstrators also shouted anti-Islamic Republican slogans.
Towards evening people also came together in Tehran to sing exuberantly on the street. In the north of the metropolis, many women were seen without the obligatory headscarf, as eyewitnesses reported.
Nationwide protests
The trigger for the system-critical mass protests in Iran was the death of the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini. The vice squad arrested her for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. The woman died in police custody on September 16. Since her death, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the government’s repressive course and the Islamic system of rule. According to human rights activists, more than ten thousand people were arrested in connection with the protests and at least 240 were killed.
Students also continued to protest at universities in Iran on Wednesday. There were also violent clashes with security forces at universities in Tehran and other parts of the country, as videos on social networks showed. These reports could not initially be independently verified.
Annalena Baerbock: No “keep it up”
Because of the Iranian authorities’ crackdown on the protest movement there, Germany is tightening its stance against Tehran. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said in a press statement that there could be no “business as usual” in bilateral relations. In addition to the sanctions decided at EU level, additional national entry restrictions are to be imposed. The already limited economic contacts are to be further reduced, also with a view to the still existing business relationships of Iranian banks.
Meanwhile, Iran responded to punitive measures against the country, putting European politicians and institutions on a sanctions list. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentions the Persian-language department of Deutsche Welle (DW). Members of the European Parliament and two German companies are also affected. About a week ago, Iran put more than a dozen British people and institutions on a terrorist list. Iran accuses the institutions and people of “supporting terrorism”.
The director of Deutsche Welle, Peter Limbourg, condemned the move in a statement. “The regime in Iran has been threatening our colleagues in the Farsi editorial team and their families for a long time. This is unacceptable. The regime promotes terrorism internally and externally. I expect that politicians in Germany and Europe will put up the pressure on the regime. Being on such a list will not prevent us from providing reliable information to our users in Iran.”