Iran protests: Police fire on Mahsa Amini mourners - witnesses - BBC

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A young pistillate   without a hijab stands connected  a car   arsenic  a immense  assemblage  walks towards the Aichi cemetery successful  Saqqez, Iran, to sojourn  Mahsa Amini's sedate  connected  26 October 2022Image source, Twitter

Image caption,

Photos and videos posted online showed a ample fig of radical walking to the cemetery

Iranian constabulary are reported to person fired connected protesters successful Saqqez, location metropolis of Mahsa Amini who died successful custody aft being arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

Thousands gathered adjacent the sedate of the Kurdish pistillate and clashed with security, 40 days since her death.

A rights radical and witnesses said officers fired unrecorded rounds and teardrop state astatine the crowds successful the city.

Protests swept crossed Iran aft Ms Amini, 22, died connected 16 September.

She had been detained 3 days earlier by the morality constabulary successful the capital, Tehran, and fell into a coma aft collapsing astatine a detention centre.

There were reports that officers bushed her with a baton and banged her caput against a vehicle, but constabulary denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered a bosom attack.

On Wednesday, information forces were deployed successful Saqqez and different parts of Kurdistan province, successful anticipation of caller demonstrations connected the 40th time of mourning for Ms Amini - a culturally important juncture for Iranians.

Videos showed thousands of mourners walking on a road, through a field and crossed a stream to bypass roadblocks and scope the graveyard wherever Ms Amini is buried.

The crowds were heard shouting "Woman, life, freedom" and "Death to the dictator" - 2 of the signature chants of the protestation question - arsenic good arsenic "Down with traitors" and "Kurdistan volition beryllium the graveyard of fascists".

It was not wide whether members of Ms Amini's household were present.

A root adjacent to the household told the BBC's Jiyar Gol that quality agents enactment unit connected her begetter to accidental that they were not holding a ceremony.

Kurdish quality rights radical Hengaw, which is based successful Norway, aboriginal tweeted that mourners had marched towards the provincial government's bureau successful Saqqez and that information forces had opened occurrence connected radical successful Zindan square.

Reuters quality bureau quoted an unnamed eyewitness arsenic saying: "The riot constabulary changeable mourners who gathered astatine the cemetery... Dozens person been arrested."

Media caption,

The BBC has mapped however the decease of Mahsa Amini sparked wide unrest successful Iran

The semi-official Isna quality bureau reported that "a constricted fig of those contiguous astatine Mahsa Amini's memorial clashed with constabulary forces connected the outskirts of Saqqez and were dispersed".

The archetypal protests took spot aft Ms Amini's ceremonial successful Saqqez, with women ripping disconnected their headscarves successful solidarity.

The protests evolved into 1 of the astir superior challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Women person been astatine the forefront, waving their headscarves successful the air, mounting them connected occurrence and adjacent cutting their hairsbreadth successful public.

Another Norway-based organisation, Iran Human Rights, says astatine slightest 234 protesters, including 29 children, person been killed by information forces successful a crackdown connected what Iran's leaders person portrayed arsenic "riots" fomented by foreigners.

Opposition activists said protests marking the 40th time of mourning for Ms Amini were besides held successful different parts of the country, including Tehran.

One young pistillate protester wrong Iran told BBC World News: "You cannot ideate however pugnacious it is to spell to streets knowing that they are acceptable to shoot. But we are not afraid.

"It's not astir me. It's astir the adjacent generation. We privation to person a mean life."

She added: "I don't cognize erstwhile our protests volition travel to an end, but contiguous Iranian nine is much awake than ever and we are acceptable for large changes."

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