Strike of Trades in Kurdish Cities | Ministry of Intelligence Threatens Mahsa's Family; Political Prisoners Go on Hunger Strike

A group of political prisoners in Evin prison, on the second anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement and the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of the morality police, have gone on a hunger strike. Simultaneously, officials from the Ministry of Intelligence have threatened Mahsa's family, stating they do not have the right to leave their home or visit her grave. According to an Instagram account attributed to Narges Mohammadi on Sunday, September 25, coinciding with the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, 34 female political prisoners have gone on a hunger strike to commemorate the anniversary of the nationwide protests of 2022, known as the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement. This report states that the protest action of these political and ideological prisoners in the women's ward of Evin prison is declared 'to resonate with the protesting people of Iran' and 'against the repressive policies of the government.' The Kurdistan Human Rights Network has reported that Ministry of Intelligence officials have stationed themselves around the home of Mahsa Amini's parents in Saqez and have threatened them in contact, stating they do not have the right to leave their home or visit their child's grave. Some sources have also reported severe internet disruptions in western Iranian cities, including Saqez and Sanandaj. Concurrently, reports indicate a strike by trades and shopkeepers in western and northwestern cities of Iran, including Sanandaj, Saqez, Divandareh, Mahabad, and Bukan, on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. Local sources have stated that the Islamic Republic's intelligence agencies have blocked communication routes to the Aichi cemetery, the burial site of Mahsa Amini in Saqez, and military helicopters are patrolling over the city. Additionally, on the second anniversary of her death, Mahsa Amini's mother addressed the agents responsible for her daughter's death in a message posted on Instagram, stating, 'They will be the eternal disgrace of history.' Mojgan Eftekhari, reflecting on the events two years ago, emphasized that Mahsa was caught in the capital by 'those who could not bear to see the beauty of their homeland's daughter.' Mahsa Amini died a few days after being arrested by the morality police on September 25, 2022, in Kasra Hospital in Tehran, and her death triggered widespread protests across Iran that continued for months in the streets, universities, and schools. During the suppression of the nationwide protests in 2022 by government forces, hundreds of citizens were killed, and thousands were injured and arrested. Reports indicate a wave of arrests in Kurdish cities ahead of the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, and a collective of women’s rights activists emphasized 'continuing the struggle until the victory of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.'