Xeeis — On the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s tragic death, Iranian authorities detained her father, Amjad, according to reports from Iranian journalists and human rights groups. Mahsa Amini lost her life in the custody of the morality police on September 16, 2022, after being arrested for alleged improper wearing of her headscarf, sparking widespread protests across Iran.
Amjad Amini had been regularly summoned by security officers in the months following his daughter’s death, and on this fateful day, he was detained for a few hours, along with his son. During their detention, Amjad’s son received a warning that he would be banished to a remote village if he encouraged people to attend ceremonies commemorating Mahsa Amini’s death.
The Amini family had visited Mahsa’s grave in the western Kurdish city of Saqqez on the eve of the anniversary, accompanied by a heavy presence of military personnel, police officers, and helicopters hovering over the Aichi cemetery.
Iranian authorities vehemently denied reports of Amjad’s detention, labeling them as “false” in a statement by the state media news outlet IRNA on Telegram.
In a related incident, Mahsa Amini’s uncle, Safa Aeli, who resides in Saqqez, was also arrested by authorities earlier in the week, as reported by a family member and the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
While large-scale protests had not yet erupted on the anniversary, Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that at least 13 cities in the province where Amini hailed from had gone on strike.
Mahsa Amini’s tragic death in September of the previous year had triggered the largest protests Iran had witnessed in years, evolving into a broader social movement.
Demonstrators were not only protesting the regime’s treatment of women but also addressing other pressing issues.
In the wake of the protests, Iranian security forces launched a crackdown, resulting in hundreds of casualties and thousands of arrests. According to the United Nations, more than 300 people, including over 40 children, lost their lives during the protests, while US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported a higher toll of over 500, including 70 children.
Moreover, thousands of individuals were arrested during the nationwide protests, as noted by the UN in a report released in June, citing research from their Human Rights Committee. The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that Iran executed seven protesters for their involvement in the unrest.