One of the largest anti-government protests took place in Iran on Wednesday since the demonstrations began six weeks ago.
Thousands of people took to the streets in major cities and other parts of the country to mark the 40th day since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died while in police custody.
Amini had been arrested for allegedly wearing the veil “improperly”.
His death, which occurred on September 16, generated a wave of protests considered the greatest challenge to the Islamic republic since it was established in Iran in 1979.
Iran’s leaders have portrayed the unrest as fomented by foreigners.
Several young Iranian women take off their hijabs, stand on top of wheelie bins and chant “death to Khamenei” and “woman, life, freedom” in Kermanshah, before a middle-aged woman with her hijab on joins them to loud cheers from protesters . #مهسا_امینیpic.twitter.com/Y9urP1UVHT
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) October 27, 2022
In the capital, Tehran, bonfires were lit in the streets, as hundreds marched down a main street chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator”, a reference to Iran’s supreme leader, and which has become a refrain repeated in the marches.
In response to the protests, the Islamic Republic has responded with violence.
According to the Oslo-based human rights organization Iran Human Rights, at least 234 protesters, including 29 children, have been killed by security forces during the crackdown on the protests.
In addition, the state has threatened protesters with the death penalty, in an attempt to put an end to the marches.
Despite the authorities pressure on the family to recall the 40 th days ceremony for #Mahsa_Amini thousands gather on Mahsa’s grave chanting “Kurdistan will be the graveyard of fascists” “women, life, freedom” pic.twitter.com/ifH9h3DHsv
— @jiyargol (@jiyargol) October 26, 2022
A young female protester inside Iran told BBC World News: “You can’t imagine how difficult it is to go out on the street knowing they are ready to shoot. But we are not afraid.”
“This is not about me. This is about the next generation. We want to have a normal life.”
He added: “I don’t know when our protests will end, but today Iranian society is more awake than ever and we are ready for big changes.”
On the other hand, the authorities have blocked all international social media platforms and messaging tools.
But why is this 40-day anniversary significant?
As BBC Monitoring journalist Khosro Kalbasi Isfahani explains, the traditional mourning period in Iranian culture lasts 40 days.
Immediate family members usually wear black during this period and hold a commemorative event on the last day.
During the years leading up to the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and propelled Islamist theocrats to power, revolutionaries used this tradition, along with the burials of protesters, as a rallying point.
This Thursday the protests continue, including in the city of Mahabad, a Kurdish city in the northwest, where people are gathering and demonstrating in front of government buildings.
Thousands of people also demonstrated in different cities around the world in support of the protests in Iran.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-63412563, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-10-27 14:40:05
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