Amjad Amini Summoned to Intelligence Office in Saqqez; Severe Security Atmosphere in Kurdistan Province

On Tuesday, September 21, some news sources and social media reported the summoning of Amjad Amini, the father of Mahsa Amini, to the Saqqez Intelligence Office. According to a source close to the Amini family, they are under significant pressure as the anniversary of their child's death approaches. On Friday, September 18, Mahsa's parents published a joint message on Amjad Amini's Instagram page, announcing a "traditional and religious ceremony" at her grave and inviting "everyone" to "refrain from any violent actions and reactions against it." In this message, signed by Mojgan Eftekhari and Amjad Amini, Mahsa Amini's mother and father, they emphasized that they would not publish any other texts or writings apart from this one. Concurrently, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization announced that on Tuesday, September 21, 2023, a military transport aircraft of the Islamic Republic's armed forces landed at Saqqez airport to evacuate government equipment and personnel. This human rights organization stressed that the current situation in various cities of Kurdistan corresponds entirely with what is described as a "war-like situation," warning of potential widespread repression of Kurdish citizens in the coming days. Hengaw also reported on Tuesday morning the presence of numerous repressive forces in Mahabad and the war-like conditions in that city. In the lead-up to the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, pressure on the families of victims of the Islamic Republic has significantly increased, with opponents and protesters being arrested on various pretexts, and many families seeking justice being summoned or detained by security agencies and transferred to the Islamic Republic's prisons.