Protests in Iran after Woman Dies in Police Hands
2022-09-24
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1Protests have spread across Iran in recent days.
2They began after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while being held by the morality police for violating the country's Islamic dress rules.
3Iran's morality police arrested Amini on September 13 in Tehran.
4She was visiting there from her hometown in the country's western Kurdish area.
5She collapsed at a police station and died three days later.
6Police held her for reportedly wearing a head covering, or hijab, too loosely.
7Iran requires women to wear a head covering in a way that completely covers their hair in public.
8The police denied Amini was mistreated and said she died of a heart attack.
9Amini's family said she had no history of heart problems.
10The family said they were prevented from seeing her body before she was buried.
11Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi promised an investigation into her death.
12The demonstration started after her funeral in the Kurdish city of Saquez last Saturday.
13Many Iranians have come to see Amini's death as part of the Islamic Republic's severe policing of dissent and violent treatment of young women.
14The street protests began with women taking off their legally required head coverings, with some cutting their hair in public.
15Then, protestors in the capital Tehran and other Iranian cities set police stations and vehicles on fire.
16Nine security force members were killed in the unrest.
17An official said that 76 others were injured in the Mazandaran area.
18And police in the Kurdistan area said more than 100 security forces were wounded.
19Reports by Kurdish rights group Hengaw said 15 people had died in Kurdish areas and 733 had been injured.
20A video, posted on the social media Twitter account 1500tasvir, showed in the northeast, protestors shouted "We will die, we will die but we will get Iran back."
21Reuters news agency said it did not have independent confirmation of the rights group report or the video.
22The watch group Netblocks reported that the internet was disrupted in the country.
23It is a possible sign that officials fear the protests will increase.
24The United States Treasury Department said the U.S. placed sanctions on Iran's morality police.
25It accused them of abuse and violence against Iranian women and of violating the rights of peaceful Iranian protestors.
26It also blamed the morality police responsible for the death of Amini.
27Iranian women can go to school, work outside the home and hold public office.
28But they are required to cover themselves in public by wearing hijabs and long, loose-fitting robes.
29Unmarried men and women are barred from spending time together.
30The rules, which date back to the days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, are enforced by the morality police.
31Enforcement was eased under former President Hassan Rouhani.
32In 2017, the head of the force said it would no longer arrest women for violating the rules.
33But under Raisi, who was elected last year, the morality police returned to enforce the rules.
34The U.N. human rights office said in recent months women have been hit in the face, hit with sticks, and pushed into police vehicles.
35I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Protests have spread across Iran in recent days. They began after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while being held by the morality police for violating the country's Islamic dress rules. 2What caused the protests in Iran? 3Iran's morality police arrested Amini on September 13 in Tehran. She was visiting there from her hometown in the country's western Kurdish area. She collapsed at a police station and died three days later. 4Police held her for reportedly wearing a head covering, or hijab, too loosely. Iran requires women to wear a head covering in a way that completely covers their hair in public. 5The police denied Amini was mistreated and said she died of a heart attack. 6Amini's family said she had no history of heart problems. The family said they were prevented from seeing her body before she was buried. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi promised an investigation into her death. 7The demonstration started after her funeral in the Kurdish city of Saquez last Saturday. Many Iranians have come to see Amini's death as part of the Islamic Republic's severe policing of dissent and violent treatment of young women. 8What is happening in Iran? 9The street protests began with women taking off their legally required head coverings, with some cutting their hair in public. Then, protestors in the capital Tehran and other Iranian cities set police stations and vehicles on fire. 10Nine security force members were killed in the unrest. An official said that 76 others were injured in the Mazandaran area. And police in the Kurdistan area said more than 100 security forces were wounded. 11Reports by Kurdish rights group Hengaw said 15 people had died in Kurdish areas and 733 had been injured. A video, posted on the social media Twitter account 1500tasvir, showed in the northeast, protestors shouted "We will die, we will die but we will get Iran back." 12Reuters news agency said it did not have independent confirmation of the rights group report or the video. 13The watch group Netblocks reported that the internet was disrupted in the country. It is a possible sign that officials fear the protests will increase. 14The United States Treasury Department said the U.S. placed sanctions on Iran's morality police. It accused them of abuse and violence against Iranian women and of violating the rights of peaceful Iranian protestors. It also blamed the morality police responsible for the death of Amini. 15How are women treated in Iran? 16Iranian women can go to school, work outside the home and hold public office. But they are required to cover themselves in public by wearing hijabs and long, loose-fitting robes. Unmarried men and women are barred from spending time together. 17The rules, which date back to the days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, are enforced by the morality police. 18Enforcement was eased under former President Hassan Rouhani. In 2017, the head of the force said it would no longer arrest women for violating the rules. 19But under Raisi, who was elected last year, the morality police returned to enforce the rules. The U.N. human rights office said in recent months women have been hit in the face, hit with sticks, and pushed into police vehicles. 20I'm Gregory Stachel. 21Joseph Krauss reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional reporting from Reuters. 22________________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24loose - adj. not tightly fastened, attached, or held 25disrupt - v. to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way 26sanction - n. an action taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting trade or aid to the country 27robe - n. a long, loose piece of clothing that is worn on top of other clothes to show that someone has a high rank or an important job 28________________________________________________________________________ 29What do you think of how women are treated in Iran? 30We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 31Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.