Anti-hijab protests: Police fire at Iranian protestors gathered near Mahsa Amini's grave

Iranian protestors gathered near the grave of Mahsa Amini to mark the 40th day of her murder were fired by the police with live ammunition.

The anti-hijab protests in Iran entered the fifth week as the government imposed violent clampdowns on protestors. There were no immediate casualties reports in Saqqez, the Kurdish-Iranian city, where Amini's funeral was held on Wednesday. The demonstrations quickly turned into protests between the government v/s protestors. Thousands of Iranian protestors defied police presence and gathered near Amini's home.

Anti-hijab protests began with Amini's death 

Anti-hijab protests in Iran began when 22- year old Mahsa Amini was murdered by the "morality police" on September 16, 2022, for "improperly" wearing the hijab. Her death sparked anger among secular students and minority groups across all political spectrums. The mourners have been on strike recently and flocked to her funeral. Several mourners covered the distance on foot to avoid gridlocked streets. Her cemetery is situated on the outskirts of the town.

As per reports by Islamic Republic News Agency Esmail Zarei-Kousha, a Kurdistan Governor accused the enemies of Iran of prompting the unrest. He echoed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's remarks, blaming the outside forces behind the protests. Kousha said, "The enemy and its media … are trying to use the 40-day anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death as a pretext to cause new tensions but fortunately the situation in the province is completely stable." 

Fazel Hawramy, an investigative reporter, tweeted, "Thousands of people are marching to the cemetery in Saqez city where #MahsaAmini is buried to pay their respect on 40th day of her passing despite massive security forces presence and IRGC forcing the family to say that we're not holding an event." 

Iran Human Rights, an Oslo-based group, said that since the beginning, the protests have claimed the lives of 141 people. Amnesty International say that 21 children have been killed as a part of the protests.