Three years after the demise of Mahsa Amini, Iranian authorities are nonetheless stopping her household from holding a memorial service for the 22-year-old who died whereas within the custody of Tehran’s morality police for an alleged violation of the legislation on carrying a head cowl.
A supply near the household informed RFE/RL’s Radio Farda on September 16, the third anniversary of Amini’s demise, that her father, Amjad Amini, was summoned by intelligence officers in Saghez, in Iran’s Kurdistan Province and warned to not take any motion to mark the occassion.
Amateur movies posted on-line confirmed outlets in Saghez closed on September 16 in what was described as a strike by native shopkeepers to mark the anniversary.
The supply, who requested anonymity, mentioned safety forces have been stationed outdoors the household’s dwelling in Saghez since September 14 and have been monitoring their actions.
According to the supply, safety forces additionally blocked entry to Aichi Cemetery—the place Amini is buried—to stop guests from reaching her grave. The household was barred from visiting the location as effectively.
Radio Farda sources added that authorities blocked entry routes to the cemetery by releasing water from the Cheragh Weis Dam into the Saqqez riverbed.
Similar measures had been taken final 12 months on the second anniversary of Amini’s demise, which had sparked nationwide protests throughout Iran. During these demonstrations, ladies eliminated their headscarves and plenty of chanted slogans in opposition to the clerical institution, together with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Authorities responded with a violent crackdown, killing greater than 500 individuals and arresting greater than 20,000.
Human Rights Watch mentioned in a assertion marking the anniversary that authorities have did not conduct efficient, neutral, and impartial investigations into severe human rights violations and crimes below worldwide legislation throughout and for the reason that 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests.
The rights group added that the third anniversary of the protests is “a stark reminder for involved governments to pursue prison accountability and different pathways for justice for victims and their households.”
“The victims and their households who suffered brutal violence by the hands of Iranian authorities don’t have any prospects for justice, as those that ought to ship redress are themselves implicated in violations and crimes and protect others accountable from accountability,” mentioned Bahar Saba, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“Countries that may prosecute such instances ought to search each alternative to take action.”
