Current:Home > StocksSecurity forces are seen across Iran as country prepares for anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death -Elevate Capital Network
Security forces are seen across Iran as country prepares for anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death
View
Date:2025-04-27 13:45:04
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Volunteer members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard could be seen on the streets Friday in western Iran as the country neared one year since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody, prompting protests that challenged the country’s theocratic rule.
In Tehran, Iran’s capital, and other cities, the public noticed a heightened presence by police and security forces that went unreported by the country’s state-run and semiofficial media.
The demonstrations over Amini’s death last Sept. 16, following her arrest by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s mandatory headscarf law, represented one of the largest challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A security force crackdown that followed saw over 500 people killed and more than 22,000 people detained.
Iran’s theocracy is trying hard to both ignore Saturday’s anniversary and tamp down on any possibility of more unrest.
Video shared by Hengaw, a Kurdish rights group, showed what the group described as volunteer members of the Revolutionary Guard, known as Basij, in the city of Sanandaj on Friday. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the videos, though they resembled the wider region around Iran’s Kurdistan province, the same area where Amini was buried.
Iran’s government, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have blamed the West for fomenting the unrest, without offering evidence to support the allegation. However, the protests found fuel in the widespread economic pain that Iran’s 80 million people have faced since the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers after then-President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally pulled America from the accord.
International pressure remains high on Iran, even as the administration tries to deescalate tensions with other nations in the region and the West after years of confrontation.
From the White House, President Joe Biden issued a lengthy statement Friday acknowledging the anniversary of Amini’s death.
“Jill and I join people around the world in remembering her — and every brave Iranian citizen who has been killed, wounded or imprisoned by the Iranian regime for peacefully demanding democracy and their basic human dignity,” Biden said. “Iranians alone will determine the fate of their country, but, the United States remains committed to standing with them — including providing tools to support Iranians’ ability to advocate for their own future.”
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also noted the anniversary as he announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s minister of culture and Islamic guidance, as well as Tehran’s mayor and a police spokesman.
“A year on from Mahsa Amini’s tragic death at the hands of Iran’s Morality Police, I commend the bravery of Iranian women as they continue to fight for fundamental freedoms,” Cleverly said in a statement. “Today’s sanctions on those responsible for Iran’s oppressive laws send a clear message that the U.K. and our partners will continue to stand with Iranian women and call out the repression it is inflicting on its own people.”
veryGood! (83618)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Exhibit chronicles public mourning over Muhammad Ali in his Kentucky hometown
- Meta to adjust AI policies on content after board said they were incoherent and confusing
- Elephant attack leaves American woman dead in Zambia's Kafue National Park
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- GalaxyCoin: Discover new ways to buy and trade Bitcoin
- Zach Edey and Purdue power their way into NCAA title game, beating N.C. State 63-50
- GalaxyCoin: Unpacking the driving factors behind Bitcoin’s (BTC) surge
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- When will Fed cut rates? As US economy flexes its muscles, maybe later or not at all
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- These Facts About Candace Cameron Bure Won't Fill Your House but They'll Expand Your Mind
- A Nebraska bill to ban transgender students from the bathrooms and sports of their choice fails
- Iowa-UConn women’s Final Four match was most-watched hoops game in ESPN history; 14.2M avg. viewers
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Student arrested at Georgia university after disrupting speech on Israel-Hamas war
- Attn: Foodies! Shop Sur La Table’s Epic Warehouse Sale, Including 65% off Le Creuset, Staub & More
- Lionel Messi scores goal in return, but Inter Miami turns sights on Monterrey after draw
Recommendation
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Ex Ryan Anderson Breaks His Silence After Split
State Republicans killed an Indiana city’s lawsuit to stop illegal gun sales. Why?
Man charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangerment in 3-year-old boy’s shooting death
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
Oregon recriminalizes drug possession. How many people are in jail for drug-related crimes?
The solar eclipse could deliver a $6 billion economic boom: The whole community is sold out
Final Four highlights, scores: UConn, Purdue will clash in men's title game