Kurdistan
An image shows heavy security presence at Aichi cemetery in Saqqez, Iran where Kurds on April 21, 2023 visited the graves of their loved ones killed during protests last year. Photo: Hengaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - As is tradition on the last day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, families and activists, under a heavy security force presence, visited the graves of protesters who were killed by Iranian forces in the past year, including that of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini whose death sparked months of nation-wide demonstrations, human rights agencies reported.
Amini died in custody last September after allegedly violating Iran’s strict Islamic dress code that requires women to cover their hair. Women and girls took a lead in protests over her death with chants of “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” [Woman, Life, Freedom], while removing their headscarves and cutting their hair. The protest movement grew into one of the largest challenges to more than 40 years of the Islamic Republic’s rule as people demanded social and political freedoms.
Tehran accused foreign agents of instigating what it called “riots.” Hundreds of protesters were killed in the security forces’ repression of the demonstrations.
Gathered around Amini’s grave in the Aichi cemetery of Saqqez on Friday, people sang the popular Kurdish revolutionary song ‘Ey shahidan,’ meaning ‘Oh martyrs.’ The folkloric song includes lyrics like “your name will never die.”
It is the tradition to visit graves of deceased family members on the last day of Ramadan, which in Shiite-majority Iran is Friday, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
People also gathered in cemeteries in Bukan and Mahabad, according to Hengaw.
In Saqqez, security forces surrounded Aichi cemetery, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. There were no immediate reports of altercations or arrests.
Tehran’s crackdown on women activists continues. Authorities have installed cameras in public places to catch women not abiding by the mandatory dress code. And this month saw a wave of arrests of women activists and journalists, according to Human Rights Watch. “In the last ten days alone, authorities have arrested three activists and journalists and summoned two more to court,” it said on Tuesday.
Amini died in custody last September after allegedly violating Iran’s strict Islamic dress code that requires women to cover their hair. Women and girls took a lead in protests over her death with chants of “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” [Woman, Life, Freedom], while removing their headscarves and cutting their hair. The protest movement grew into one of the largest challenges to more than 40 years of the Islamic Republic’s rule as people demanded social and political freedoms.
Tehran accused foreign agents of instigating what it called “riots.” Hundreds of protesters were killed in the security forces’ repression of the demonstrations.
Gathered around Amini’s grave in the Aichi cemetery of Saqqez on Friday, people sang the popular Kurdish revolutionary song ‘Ey shahidan,’ meaning ‘Oh martyrs.’ The folkloric song includes lyrics like “your name will never die.”
Singing a revolutionary anthem on the grave of #Jina_Amini by the people of Saqqez
— Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) April 21, 2023
Friday, April 21, 2023#Kurdistanhttps://t.co/M45zEnamAv
It is the tradition to visit graves of deceased family members on the last day of Ramadan, which in Shiite-majority Iran is Friday, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
People also gathered in cemeteries in Bukan and Mahabad, according to Hengaw.
In Saqqez, security forces surrounded Aichi cemetery, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. There were no immediate reports of altercations or arrests.
امروز جمعه اول اردیبهشت ۱۴۰۲ همزمان با اعلام عید فطر در شهرهای مختلف کردستان، شهروندان بر مزار جان‌باختگان خیزش مردمی در شهرهای مختلف حضور پیدا کردند.
— شبکه حقوق بشر کردستان (@KurdistanHRN) April 21, 2023
بنا به گزارش‌های دریافتی از سقز، نیروهای امنیتی اقدام به محاصره کردن آرامستان آیچی کرده‌اند. pic.twitter.com/lnXOy347HA
Tehran’s crackdown on women activists continues. Authorities have installed cameras in public places to catch women not abiding by the mandatory dress code. And this month saw a wave of arrests of women activists and journalists, according to Human Rights Watch. “In the last ten days alone, authorities have arrested three activists and journalists and summoned two more to court,” it said on Tuesday.
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