Protesting female students in Iran voice "leave us alone" message to the nation's president amid ongoing unrest
In the heart of Tehran, female students dared to roar, according to activists, as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi paid a visit to their university campus on October 8, sparking outrage among protesters infuriated by the death of a young woman in custody.
As Iran's worldwide demonstrations raged on for the fourth week straight, Raisi addressed educators and students at Alzahra University, launching into a poem that compared "rioters" to flies.
"They think they can achieve their vile goals in our academic halls," state TV announced. "Little do they know, our students and scholars are vigilant and won't let the enemy succeed."
A video shared on Twitter by the activist 1500tasvir website purportedly showed women students shouting "Raisi, beat it!" and "Clerics, beat it!" as the president toured their campus.
According to an Iranian state coroner's report, Mahsa Amini's death was not the result of blows to her head and limbs while in police custody, but was instead linked to pre-existing medical conditions, state media reported on Friday.
Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was apprehended in Tehran on September 13 for violating the dress code, and she passed away just three days later.
Her death set off a wave of nationwide protests, marking the most significant challenge to Iran's religious leaders in years.
Women have been flouting the dress code in defiance of the religious establishment, while enraged crowds have called for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The government asserts that the protests are part of a conspiracy by Iran's adversaries, including the United States, and blames armed dissidents and others for the violence that has reportedly left at least 20 members of the security forces dead.
Rights groups claim that over 150 people have been killed, hundreds injured, and thousands arrested by the security forces as they quell demonstrations.
After a call for widespread protests on October 8, security forces reportedly opened fire on protesters and used tear gas in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj and Saqez, according to the Iranian human rights group Hengaw.
In Sanandaj, the city's capital and the northwestern Kurdistan province, one man was found dead in his vehicle while a woman cried "shameless," according to Hengaw, which claimed he was shot by the security forces after honking his horn in protest.
However, a senior police officer reiterated the claim by the security forces that they did not use live ammunition and that the man had been killed by "counter-revolutionaries" (armed dissidents), as reported by the state news agency IRNA.
"Woman, life, freedom"
Hengaw also carried a video of emergency personnel attempting to revive a victim and claimed that one protester had died after being shot in the abdomen by security forces in Sanandaj. Reuters could not independently verify the video.
One of the schools in the city square in Saqez was filled with schoolgirls chanting "Woman, life, freedom," according to Hengaw.
The widely followed Tavsir1500 Twitter account also reported shootings at protesters in the cities of Sanandaj and Saqez.
A university student en route to join protests in Tehran told Reuters that he was not afraid of being arrested or even killed. "They can detain us, kill us, but we will no longer remain silent," the student, who requested anonymity, said.
Widespread strikes are taking place in the cities of Saqez, Diwandareh, Mahabad, and Sanandaj, according to Hengaw.
Were you captivated by this story? Support independent journalism by subscribing to our website+.
Got thoughts, questions, or insights about this story? Download the our website Communities app for iOS, Android, or web, tap the Community tab, and join any of our discussion rooms. See you there!
- The demonstrations in Iran, instigated by the death of Mahsa Amini, continued for the fourth week, sparking protests in cities such as Sanandaj and Saqez, with students and schoolgirls shouting for 'Woman, life, freedom.'
- Amidst the growing unrest, politics and cultural travel have become inseparable, as the protests challenge Iran's religious leaders and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, raising questions about women's health and general news in the country.
- The travel industry has taken a backseat as health-and-wellness concerns, particularly women's health, have come to the forefront, with many women flouting the dress code in defiance of the religious establishment.
- As the Iranian government accuses adversaries, including the United States, of orchestrating the protests, war-and-conflicts rhetoric has also surfaced, with reports of violence and arrests by security forces, leading to concerns about human rights and the death toll rising beyond the reported 20 security force members.
