The death of a young woman in custody has sparked massive protests in parts of Iran. Demonstrations have killed more than eighty people in two weeks.
The incident
A 22-year-old girl named Mahsa Amini from Saqez was arrested in Tehran this month. She was arrested because the morality police did not like her attire, and the Islamic Republic has strict female dress restrictions. After Amini died in police custody, protests led by opposition leaders broke out in Iran. A human rights organization has claimed that eighty-three people have lost their lives in the protest.
Authorities are handling the situation very fiercely, and the death toll is rising. Police arrested hundreds of demonstrators, according to the local media reports.
Social activists, artists, and students in large numbers gathered on the street to show protests and were detained. Almost thirty journalists were arrested, said the media.
Germany steps in
Amini’s death has an international impact too. The foreign minister of Germany has asked for interventions of the EU in the case of the young woman’s death and protests. Annalena Baerbock said that the EU should impose sanctions on the country. She asked the Iranian authorities to stop acting brutally toward the demonstrators.
The angry demonstration also took place in Norway. People gathered in front of the embassy of Iran in Norway’s Oslo and tried to enter the embassy. The protests left two people injured, stated Norway police. Local media said 95 people were detained in the incident.
What the Iranian President says
Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian President, blamed the western powers for the protests. He said that the western powers were against Iran’s Islamic revolution, and that’s why they instigated the agitators. The enemies of Iran think the country to be weak, which is why they continued making errors for forty-three years, added Raisi in a televised speech.
