New Delhi: Mahsa Amini was arrested by the morality police and she died in their custody. Protests erupted over her death in Iran. At least 31 civilians were killed in a crackdown by Iran security forces on these protestors, an Oslo-based NGO said today.
Iran Human Rights publish toll
A toll was published to estimate the losses after six days of protests. Iran Human Rights (IHR) director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement, “The people of Iran have come to the streets to achieve their fundamental rights and human dignity… and the government is responding to their peaceful protest with bullets.”
In the city of Amol, Mazandaran province, protesters run towards riot police and force them into retreat on the sixth night of protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest by morality police over "improper hijab".#مهسا_امینیpic.twitter.com/A7YEOGHED8
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) September 21, 2022
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Concerns over ‘mass arrests’
IHR expressed concern over “mass arrests” of protestors and civil society activists. They confirmed demonstrations in over 30 cities and other major centres.
Amini’s native Kurdistan province in the nation’s north was the hook of the first wave of demonstrations over the weekend. The wave gradually evolved and have now spread throughout the nation.
Tabriz reported first protest-related casuality
According to IHR, the death toll comprised 11 victims killed on Wednesday night in the town of Amol in the northern Caspian Sea province of Mazandaran. At least 6 victims were also killed in Babol.
Tabriz reported the first protest-related fatality according to IHR. It is a significant city in the northeast region of Iran.
in Sari in northern Iran, a woman dances and throws her headscarf in fire amid cheers and chants of "We're all in this together." #Mahsa_Amini #مهسا_امینیhttps://t.co/ExyUZkEJem
— Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) September 20, 2022
“Condemnation and expression of concern by the international community are no longer enough,” Amiry-Moghaddam said.
Hengaw, a Kurdish rights organization, had earlier reported 15 fatalities in the region of Kurdistan. On Wednesday night, at least 8 more people perished in different Kurdish-populated regions of northern Iran.