Protests broke out in western Iran on Saturday at the funeral of a young woman who died after being detained by morality police enforcing strict hijab rules, and security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
Videos posted on social media showed protesters shouting anti-government slogans after gathering in Saqez, hometown of Mahsa Amini. They came from nearby cities in Iran's Kurdistan province to mourn the 22-year-old who died in a hospital in the capital Tehran on Friday.
"Death to the dictator" — a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — chanted the crowd, while some women took off their headscarves. Police were seen firing tear gas and one man was shown on a video with an injury to his head that someone could be heard saying was caused by birdshot. Reuters could not authenticate the videos.
Protests spread to the provincial capital, Sanandaj and continued late into the night.
