Iran security forces open fire as thousands mourn Mahsa Amini
- Protesters massed to mark 40 days since the death of the young woman after her arrest by morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code
- Despite heightened security measures, nearly 10,000 people poured into Amini’s hometown to visit her grave at the end of the traditional mourning period
Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters who massed in their thousands Wednesday in Mahsa Amini’s hometown to mark 40 days since her death, according to a rights group and verified videos.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on September 16, three days after her arrest in Tehran by the notorious morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code for women.
Anger flared at her funeral and quickly sparked widespread protests that saw young women lead the charge, burning their headscarves and confronting security forces, in the biggest wave of unrest in the Islamic republic for years.
Despite heightened security measures, columns of mourners had poured into Saqez in the western Kurdistan province to pay tribute to Amini at her grave at the end of the traditional mourning period.
In a viral picture of the scene verified by AFP, a young woman was seen standing on the roof of a car without a hijab head covering, looking into the distance at the highway packed with scores of vehicles and mourners.