Conflicts & War

At least 17 dead as Iran protests spread after woman dies in police custody

Tehran, Sep 22 (EFE).- At least 17 people have been killed in Iran during days of nationwide protests over the death of a young woman in police custody, state television reported on Thursday.

“Seventeen people, including protesters and policemen, have died in the events of the past few days,” IRIB TV said.

So far, Iranian authorities confirmed the death of eight people, three of them security personnel.

The demonstrations were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old was arrested last Tuesday by the morality police for violating the country’s strict Islamic dress code. She collapsed at a detention center and spent three days in a coma before she died in hospital on Friday.

People pouring into the streets of at least 20 Iranian cities have been chanting slogans such as “No to compulsory hijab,” “Women, life and freedom,” and “Death to the dictator,” as protests turned violent.

Protesters torched at least two police stations and several vehicles amid clashes Wednesday night.

Unverified video footage shared by activists and journalists in social media showed protests in many cities Wednesday night. One of them showed an older woman in the city of Rasht without her headscarf yelling “Death to the dictator.”

The government shut down the internet almost completely during the night and restricted social apps like Whatsapp and Instagram in an attempt to control the spread of the protests.

Amini’s family has denied she suffered from any illness.

Authorities insist that the protests are being incited by a foreign enemy with the help of intelligence agencies and embassies from other countries.EFE

ar-jlr/aef-smq/mp

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