Iran: At least fifty people killed in repressed demonstrations, says NGO Iran Human Rights

At least 50 people have been killed in Iran since protests erupted over the death of a woman in the arrest of a vice police officer. NGO Iran Human Rights ReportPress release on Friday, September 23. On Thursday, the Oslo-based organization had already cited a death toll of at least thirty-one, while Iranian authorities acknowledged the deaths of seventeen people – and denied any involvement by security forces.

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amin sparked worldwide condemnation as international NGOs condemned the crackdown. “brutal” protest and that the president of Iran promised an investigation.

A young woman originally from Kurdistan was arrested in Tehran on September 13 “Wearing Inappropriate Clothing” by the Vice Police, the unit responsible for enforcing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strict dress code, where women must cover their hair and must not wear short jackets above the knee, tight pants or ripped jeans. He died in the hospital on September 16. Activists said he had been fatally shot in the head, but Iranian officials denied that and launched an investigation.

Demonstrations started as soon as his death was announced. They have since spread to fifteen cities, as far as Qom, southwest of Tehran, the birthplace of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.