Five people killed in Iran in protests over death of woman in police custody, human rights group says | CNN

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Five people have been killed by Iranian security forces during the protests that started after the death of Mahsa Amini. who was kept in police custody.According to a human rights monitor.

The Hangau Organization for Human Rights, a Norwegian-registered organization that monitors rights abuses in Iran, said five people were shot dead during protests in Iran’s Kurdish region on Monday. It said 75 others were injured in other cities over the weekend.

Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nida al-Nashif issued a statement on Tuesday expressing “concern at the violent response. [Iranian] Security forces for “demonstrations.”

Meanwhile, Tehran Governor Mohsin Mansouri accused the protesters of attacking police and destroying public property, claiming in a Twitter post late Monday that the protesters were “fully organized to create chaos in Tehran.” And were trained.”

CNN was unable to independently verify reports of deaths and injuries.

Protests erupted after the death of AminiA 22-year-old Iranian woman who died last week in Tehran after being arrested by Iran’s morality police.

Iranian officials said Amini died on Friday after suffering a heart attack and falling into a coma following his arrest last Tuesday. However, her family said she did not have a pre-existing heart condition, Amted News, a pro-reform Iranian media outlet that claimed to have spoken to Amini’s father, said.

Edited security camera footage released by Iran’s state media showed Amini collapsing at a “re-education” center where he was taken to receive “guidance” on his clothing.

Iran’s morality police are part of the country’s law enforcement agencies and are tasked with enforcing the Islamic Republic’s strict social laws, including its dress code that requires women to wear a headscarf or hijab in public. has been declared mandatory.

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said in a statement on Tuesday that morality police have stepped up street patrols in recent months and are targeting women who are perceived to be wearing “loose hijabs” and verbally abuse them. Being subjected to physical harassment and arrest.

“(OHCHR) has received numerous videos of violent treatment of women, including women being slapped in the face, beaten with sticks and thrown into police vans.”

Al-Nashf said Amini’s death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment “must be investigated promptly, impartially and effectively by an independent competent authority.”

Iranian police said Amini’s death was an “unfortunate incident” and denied he was physically harmed in custody, Iran’s semi-official Fars News agency said on Monday.

Iranian officials said they had conducted an autopsy on Amini’s body. Speaking on state TV on Saturday, Mehdi Frouzish, director of Iran’s Forensic Medical Organization, said the results would be announced after further examinations by medical experts.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi said police “did everything” to keep him alive.

But the police explanations were not accepted by the protesters. The United Nations said thousands of people took to the streets in cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Mashhad, Rasht, Saqs and Sanandaj to demand justice and accountability.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported that protesters were “unconvinced” of the police’s justification for Amini’s death, claiming she died “as a result of violence”.

After Amini’s funeral on Saturday, security forces fired tear gas at protesters in his hometown of Saqiz in Iran’s Kurdistan province, Fars said, while Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said the protesters were fighting police. were demanding answers and allegedly threw stones. Office of the Governor

Fars also released a video showing protesters chanting slogans against the authorities in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province, late on Sunday.

A video shared by the Free Union of Iranian Workers shows protesters in Sanandaj chanting “Death to the dictator”. Another video shows women taking off their hijabs and waving them in protest in Tehran.

Separately, internet watchdog NetBlocks said on Monday that its real-time data was showing “near total disruption of internet connectivity in Sanandaj”.