Cousin of Mahsa Amini to VOA: Closing the Cemetery Road is for 'Erasing Zina's Grave'

According to reports, the mayor of Saqqez has once again been instructed to change the route of the main road to the Aichi cemetery, which currently passes by the grave of Mahsa (Zina) Amini, making access to her grave more difficult for the public and vehicles. Previously, based on a statement that was released, the municipality and city council of Saqqez intended to block the vehicle entrance to the Aichi cemetery in order to 'erase the visibility of Mahsa (Zina) Amini's grave' and also dismantle the pavilions. Erfan Mortazavi, Mahsa (Zina) Amini's cousin, told the Persian section of VOA: 'In a meeting on Tuesday between the prosecutor, the special governor of Saqqez, and a member of the city council, the mayor of Saqqez was instructed to take immediate action to change the route of the main road to the Aichi cemetery away from Zina's grave.' Mr. Mortazavi added that the mayor was also told to remove any awnings and pavilions in the Saqqez cemetery and make access to Zina's grave more difficult for the public and vehicles. He said: 'After this meeting, banners were installed in the Aichi cemetery asking the citizens of Saqqez to remove all pavilions, awnings, and structures along the road.' Mahsa Amini's cousin pointed out that all these actions are aimed at 'erasing Zina's grave' and added: 'The citizens of Saqqez went on a spontaneous and united general strike on Tuesday and responded to the Islamic Republic.' Erfan Mortazavi had previously informed VOA about the Amini family's lawsuit against the destruction of the main road and changes in the Aichi cemetery, stating that this lawsuit has received widespread support from the local population and many families of victims of the nationwide protests. Additionally, the Islamic Republic's efforts to conceal Mahsa Amini's grave have also led to protests in recent days. Numerous families of victims of the nationwide protests condemned this decision by holding a gathering in the Saqqez cemetery and in front of the city governor's office on Friday, June 9. The glass of Mahsa Amini's grave has been broken at least twice. Concurrently with this action, other images of violations and disrespect towards the graves of victims of the Iranian protests in other cities have been published. These include the burning of Majid Kazemi's grave on the eve of his birthday, the destruction of the grave of Abolfazl Adinehzadeh, a 16-year-old who was killed by security forces in Mashhad on October 8 last year, the destruction of the grave of Milad Saidianjou, a victim from November 25, 2022, in Izeh, the disrespect towards the burial site of Mohsen Shakari, an executed protester by the Islamic Republic, and graffiti on the gravestone of Kian Pirfalak, a child who was killed by government forces in Izeh on November 25 last year. The families of the victims hold the Islamic Republic responsible for these actions, but the government denies any involvement in the harassment of the families of the deceased.