Demonstration on October 1 in Tehran, map showing protests across Iran
Foto:[M] DER SPIEGEL; Foto: S.Azad/SIPA/Action press
Protests in Iran The Regime’s Trail of Blood
Since the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, Iran has been gripped by unrest. The 22-year-old woman died on September 16 after being taken into custody by the morality police for her allegedly "unislamic outfit." Just a few weeks before, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had issued a new decree strengthening the country’s "hijab and chastity" law. Critics have accused the morality police of being responsible for her death, though the police have strenuously denied the charge.
Yet photos and videos have been shared on social media channels that appear to show Amini lying badly injured in a hospital bed shortly before her death.
An alleged video of Jina Mahsa Amini, shortly before her death; source: Twitter / RadioFarda
Since then, people have been protesting across the country against the oppression from the government, the hijab requirement and the entire system of rule. Iranian security forces have responded with brutality.
Nika Shakarami was missing for several days before her body suddenly appeared in Tehran. According to reporting by the BBC, Iranian officials coerced the 16-year-old’s family, under threat of violence, to falsely state that her death was the result of an accident.
Human rights organizations and activists are striving to document the victims of the protests – to put a face to their names. It is difficult to verify the information independently. IranWire, for example, a news site run by exiled journalists with good contacts in Iran, has collected the names of about 100 victims and verified the cause and date of death, as well as the age of many of them. The victims include:
According to media reports, the 20-year-old Hadis Najafi was apparently shot to death by security officials during a demonstration in Karaj. Hadis was a popular TikTok user and published dance and music videos.
According to media reports, Mehdi Mousavi was killed by security forces during protests in Zanjan. The reports indicate that they fired live rounds at Mousavi before then beating him with batons. He later succumbed to his injuries, the reports say.
Reports indicate that the 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh was also killed by regime loyalists during protests in Karaj. They apparently pummeled the girl’s head with batons before then harassing and intimidating her family to silence them.
Samer Hashemzehie reportedly died in Zahedan on what has thus far been the bloodiest day since the beginning of the protests. The protests began following Friday prayers in front of a police station across from the city’s Grand Mosque. According to Amnesty International, his family was warned against filing a criminal complaint over his death.
Notable is the fact that many of the victims have been extremely young. According to a report from the human rights organization Amnesty International, at least 23 children are among the dead in Iran.
