Since the news of Mahsa Amini’s death on September 16 caused the first protests, hundreds of protesters, reformist activists, and journalists have been arrested during the mostly nighttime rallies that have taken place all over the country.
Three days before, Amini, whose Kurdish name was Jhina, was arrested in Tehran for breaking the law about covering her head with a hijab and dressing modestly.
Mohammad Karimi, the head prosecutor of Mazandaran, told the state news agency IRNA that 450 people who took part in the recent unrest have been arrested there.
He said, “In many parts of Mazandaran, they have attacked government buildings and destroyed public property.”
Local media said that protesters were shouting slogans against the government, and Karimi said that “foreign anti-revolutionary operatives” were in charge of them.
On Saturday, authorities in the nearby province of Guilan said that they had arrested 739 people, 60 of whom were women.
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, “stressed the need for decisive punishment without mercy” against the main people who started the “riots” on Sunday, according to the Mizan Online website of the judiciary.
Since the trouble started, at least 41 people have died. Most of them were protesters, but a few were Islamic republic security officers as well.
The Tasnim news agency showed pictures of protesters in Qom on Monday. Qom is a revered Shiite city that is about 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Tehran.
Tasnim says that security officials have given these pictures of “chief instigators” to people in the area and asked them to “identify them and tell the authorities.”
