Iranian police have arrested over 700 people during more than a week of public protests following the death of a 22-year-old woman in custody, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.
General Azizollah Maleki, police chief of Guilan province, announced “the arrest of 739 rioters including 60 women,” the Iranian media outlet reported.
Mahsa Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13 for allegedly wearing a hijab in an “improper” manner. She was taken to a detention center where she collapsed shortly afterwards.
Her death three days later sparked massive demonstrations and acts of defiance against the Tehran regime, across the country.
While Iranian authorities say Amini died from underlying health reasons, her family and countless other citizens believe she died as a result of having been beaten.
This has reignited anger over many social issues including restrictions on people’s personal freedoms, the strict dress codes for women and an economy reeling from international sanctions.
The protests are the largest to sweep the country since demonstrations over fuel prices in 2019, when various media reports indicated that 1,500 people were killed in a crackdown on protesters.
In several clips that have gone viral on social media, women can be seen cutting their hair publicly and burning headscarves, as an open challenge to authorities of the Islamic Republic.
Wednesday, Shahryar, Islamic Republic’s forces shooting at protesters while they have shut down the internet and the world is not watching#Mahsa_Amini pic.twitter.com/0CtbbLD3ro
— 1500tasvir_en (@1500tasvir_en) September 23, 2022
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