Besieged by security forces
Mahsa Amini’s father placed under house arrest
September 16, 2023, 1:19 p.m
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A year after the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, authorities in Iran are trying to prevent new protests and commemorations. The family’s house is apparently surrounded by security forces, and according to exile media, the young woman’s father has to undergo interrogation – he is not allowed to leave his house.
Jina Mahsa Amini’s father was arrested in Iran on the first anniversary of the protest icon’s death, according to human rights activists. He was about to leave the house on Saturday when units of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) arrested him, the Norway-based human rights organization Hengaw reported on Telegram. According to Iranian exile media, he was then summoned and warned by the authorities. Now he is no longer allowed to leave his house. “Amjad Amini is under house arrest. Security forces are preventing him from visiting his daughter’s grave,” reported the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights (IHR).
This Saturday marks the first anniversary of Amini’s death, which triggered the worst uprisings in Iran in decades in autumn 2022. Islamic moral watchdogs arrested the 22-year-old because she was allegedly wearing a headscarf incorrectly. What exactly happened afterwards remains unclear to this day – the young woman ultimately fell into a coma and died in a hospital.
Amini’s parents early on expressed doubts about the state’s claim that their daughter had died as a result of an illness. They gave numerous interviews to local and international media and thus found themselves in the crosshairs of the judiciary. Thousands of people flocked to Amini’s funeral. Starting in the Kurdish regions, the protests spread like wildfire.
Armed men in combat gear positioned
In order to prevent new protests and commemorations for the young woman, the authorities in Iran are said to have posted numerous security forces around the house of Amini’s family in the western Iranian town of Sakes, according to reports from activists, as the Hengaw organization reported.
Photos published by Hengaw on the online service