Iran protests: Clashes after crowds gather at Mahsa Amini’s grave
Clashes between Iranian security forces and protesters have been reported in the home city of Mahsa Amini after crowds gathered near her grave to mark 40 days since her death in custody.
A Kurdish rights group said security personnel fired live rounds and tear gas in Saqqez’s Zindan Square.
Semi-official news agency Isna reported a clash on the outskirts of the city.
Earlier, thousands of mourners at the Aichi cemetery shouted “Woman, life, freedom” and “Death to the dictator”.
They are two of the signature chants of the anti-government unrest that has swept across Iran since Ms Amini died.
The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was detained by the morality police in the capital, Tehran, on 13 September for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.
She fell into a coma after collapsing at a detention centre and died three days later. There were reports that officers beat her on the head with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle, but police denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered a heart attack.
The first protests took place after Ms Amini’s funeral in Saqqez, when women ripped off their headscarves in solidarity. The protests evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
Women have been at the forefront, waving their headscarves in the air, setting them on fire and even cutting their hair in public.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights says at least 234 protesters, including 29 children, have been killed by security forces in a crackdown on what Iran’s leaders have portrayed as “riots” fomented by foreigners.
Riot police and members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force were reportedly deployed in Saqqez and other parts of Kurdistan province on Wednesday, in anticipation of fresh unrest on the 40th day of mourning for Ms Amini – a culturally significant occasion for Iranians.
However, videos showed thousands of residents walking along a highway, through a field and across a river to bypass roadblocks and reach the Aichi cemetery.
Kurdish human rights group Hengaw, which is also based in Norway, posted videos that it said showed a large crowd shouting “Down with traitors” and “Kurdistan, the fascists’ graveyard” – an apparent reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In another clip, people were seen waving scarves and shouting “Freedom”.
It was not clear whether members of Ms Amini’s family were at the cemetery.
Kurdistan Governor Esmail Zarei Kusha said the situation in Saqqez was calm on Wednesday morning and denied that roads had been shut.
Isna reported that “a limited number of those present at Mahsa Amini’s memorial clashed with police forces on the outskirts of Saqqez and were dispersed”.
Hengaw also reported protests in the nearby cities of Sanandaj and Mahabad as well as general strikes were in cities and towns across Kurdistan.
Opposition activists said protests were held on Wednesday in other parts of the country, including Tehran.
Video also appeared to show that security forces fired tear gas inside a girls’ school in the capital in response to a protest by students.
One young protester inside Iran told BBC World News: “You cannot imagine how tough it is to go to streets knowing that they are ready to shoot. But we are not afraid.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the next generation. We want to have a normal life.”
She added: “I don’t know when our protests will come to an end, but today Iranian society is more awake than ever and we are ready for big changes.”
