As the second anniversary of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody approaches, reports are emerging that the Islamic Republic has deployed security forces to her hometown and placed her family under house arrest.
Voice of America reported this weekend that witnesses have noted the existence of regime personnel establishing checkpoints in the cities of Saqqez, where Amini’s relatives live, and Sanandaj in northern Iran.
“Residents of Saqqez are reporting the deployment of a large number of armed agents in the city, ahead of the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death," Journalist Nazila Maroufian posted on the social media platform X.
In addition to the increased law enforcement presence, Iran International said Sunday that authorities are prohibiting the family members of the murdered 22-year-old from leaving their homes to attend a Monday memorial service at her gravesite in Aichi Cemetery.
The crackdown by Tehran comes as business owners throughout the region are marking the tragic event by closing their stores in acts of solidarity with the slain university student.
Widespread internet outages have also been discovered in Iran’s Kurdish areas, and journalists as well as state media outlets are reportedly under instructions not to broadcast any material related to the incident.
Amini’s passing in 2022, which was attributed to an apparent head trauma following her apprehension for allegedly wearing a hijab incorrectly, sparked the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom protests against the theocracy’s rulers and led to the killing of an estimated 550 demonstrators.
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