At least 40 people killed in Iranian protests over the killing of Mahsa Amini

Sep 2022
Iran protests
Iranian women have been cutting their hair as a sign of grief and anger over the deaths of their loved ones who have been fighting for their rights. Source: Twitter.

Iranian women have been cutting their hair as a sign of grief and anger over the deaths of their loved ones who have been fighting for their rights. Source: Twitter.
At least 40 people have been killed with hundreds arrested in protests across Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini for not properly wearing her hijab.

Protestors have taken to the streets of Iran calling for an end to the Islamic Republics treatment of women following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by their Morality Police.

For 10 days, Iranians have been protesting her death with more than 41 people including children believed to have been shot by police amid the demonstrations.

Activism groups like Iran Human Rights (IHR) believe the number of deaths to be at least 57.

Vehicles are being set alight with people chanting “death to the dictator” as they march the streets of over 80 Iranian cities. Women can be seen cutting their hair and burning their hijab all the while police are throwing tear gas and using force to stop activists.

“The rising death toll is an alarming indication of just how ruthless the authorities’ assault on human life has been under the darkness of the internet shutdown,” said Amnesty International representative Heba Morayef.

The Iranian government has warned people who attend these protests will face prosecution.

Mahsa Amini died on September 16 after she was allegedly beaten by Iran’s Morality Police for not correctly wearing her hijab. She sustained severe head injuries and was taken to hospital in a coma where she later died.

News of Amini’s death quickly made its way around the world with demonstrations currently taking place in cities like London, Paris, Brussels, Washington, and Sydney.

Hundreds of people gathered in Perth’s CBD, some cutting their hair and others calling for action against Iran.

Rally organiser Mehdi Ghatei told the ABC that international protests are helping to give a voice to those in Iran who cannot speak out freely.

“People are voiceless in Iran. They don’t have media, they don’t have anything. They are coming to the street with empty hands,” he said.

“They are just asking us, that are living in a free country, ‘just be our voice’.”

Many pro-hijab protests have popped up around Iran with government supporters yelling “death to America” or “We follow the system and the Islamic leaders” as they march.

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