The Hengaw Human Rights Organisation said on Monday (September 19) that five people were killed in Iran when security forces opened fire during protests over the death of a woman in police custody.
Demonstrators have been protesting the arrest of Mahsa Amini by morality police following which she fell into a coma and died.
According to the Kurdish rights group, the incident has ignited nationwide anger against the hardliners as they enforce strict rules in the Islamic republic requiring women to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes in public.
In an effort to contain the outrage, the official news agency IRNA said there were “limited” protests in a number of cities in seven provinces that were dispersed by police.
Rejecting “some claims of deaths on social media”, state TV said a number of protesters had been arrested.
Conflicting reports of how Amini died have put pressure on the Iranian police especially after her body suffered bruises to her legs.
Holding the police responsible for the death of his daughter, Amini’s father has repeatedly said she had no health problems.
While the authorities have previously put down unrest by the Kurdish minority numbering 8 million to 10 million, the current protests are the most intense in the Kurdish region.
Demanding accountability for Amini’s death, a White House spokesperson said “Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained while in police custody for wearing an ‘improper’ hijab is an appalling and egregious affront to human rights.”
Calling for a transparent investigation, the French foreign ministry condemned her arrest “and the violence that caused her death”.
(With inputs from agencies)
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