According to human rights media, ahead of the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police, arrests in Iran, particularly in cities of Kurdistan province, continue. Hengaw and HRANA reported on Friday, September 23, that on Wednesday, Reza Alai was arrested in Baneh and Zanyar Afshari was arrested in Marivan. Additionally, Hengaw and some Kurdish media reported that Milad Pirani was also arrested on Wednesday in the outskirts of Divandareh. Meanwhile, the family of Mina Soltani, one of the mothers seeking justice who was arrested on Wednesday in Baneh, reported after several days of not knowing her status that she said in a brief call that she is in custody in Urmia. Ms. Soltani's child, Shahryar Mohammadi, was killed during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. At the beginning of the widespread protests in 2022, a photo was released showing him sitting next to the body of another friend who had been killed the night before. September 25 marks the second anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini's death in custody of the morality police, and her father, Amjad Amini, has stated that they intend to hold a memorial service for her at the Aichi cemetery in Saqqez. However, the city of Saqqez has been heavily secured in the past two days, with a significant presence of government agents. According to eyewitnesses speaking to Radio Farda, the atmosphere in this city has become highly secure since Thursday, September 22, with many cameras installed in various areas, especially in places where protests previously occurred. The atmosphere in Saqqez ahead of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death has become 'extremely secure.' Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old girl from Saqqez, was arrested on September 22, 2022, on the pretext of 'improper hijab' in Tehran and died on September 25 after becoming unconscious and falling into a coma while in custody. The Hengaw website reported on Saturday that government agents released water from the 'Chiraghvis' dam into the bed of the Saqqez river on Saturday morning to cut off access to the Aichi cemetery and Mahsa Amini's grave, similar to last year. During the fortieth memorial of Mahsa Jina Amini in 2022, due to security agents preventing citizens from entering the Aichi cemetery, a large group of people used this route to reach her grave. Arrests in the country have begun ahead of the second anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini's death since September 10. The severe government crackdown and the risk of protests going 'underground' are evident in the narratives of doctors and eyewitnesses regarding the injured from the protests.
Continued Arrests in Iran Ahead of the Anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' Protests
As the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death approaches, arrests continue in Iran, particularly in Kurdistan. Families of those arrested are expressing concern for their loved ones' safety, highlighting the ongoing repression of dissent. This situation underscores the government's heightened security measures in anticipation of potential protests.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Iran arrests activists ahead of Mahsa Amini memorial, increasing security in Saqqez.
- Iranian authorities arrest Reza Alai, Zanyar Afshari, Milad Pirani, Mina Soltani
- Iranian authorities secure Saqqez
- Iranian authorities cut off access to Aichi cemetery
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The Iranian government is escalating its crackdown on dissent as the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death approaches.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%