Women in Iran defy the Islamic regime by removing their headscarves and waving them in the air in protests over police custody death, video shows

• Mahsa Amini died on Friday, four days after her arrest for allegedly breaking hijab-wearing rules.
• At her funeral, videos show women protesting by taking off their headscarves and waving them in the air.
• Police responded by firing tear gas at protesters and making arrests, per reports.

Protests erupted on Saturday at the funeral of a 22-year-old woman who died after being arrested by Iran's Islamic morality police, according to reports.

Mahsa Amini died on Friday, four days after witnesses accused police officers of forcing her into a van and beating her in Tehran, Insider reported.

She was arrested for allegedly not following strict rules relating to hijab-wearing. Police said Amini died of a "sudden" heart attack after she was detained, a claim that her family disputes and human rights groups say warrants investigation.

—Masih Alinejad ????️ (@AlinejadMasih) September 16, 2022

 

At her funeral, which took place in Amini's hometown of Saqqez, in Iran's Kurdistan region, mourners protested what Amnesty International has described as her "suspicious" death.

Those attending the funeral chanted "death to the dictator," referring to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The National reported. Some protesters marched towards the local governor's office, according to videos verified by the BBC Persian service.

A number of women removed their headscarves, or hijabs, in protest of the hijab-wearing rules which were used to arrest Amini, according to videos. A video shared by Masih Alinejad shows several women in Saqqez waving their headscarves in the air as they chant anti-government slogans.

Police responded to the protests by firing tear gas at protesters and arresting some individuals marching toward the local governor's office, according to BBC News.

There were reports of injuries, the news outlet said.

—Masih Alinejad ????️ (@AlinejadMasih) September 17, 2022

Women across the country have been filming themselves cutting their hair and destroying their hijabs, according to another video shared by Alinejad.

It has been mandatory to wear a hijab in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and, in recent weeks, the Iranian government has cracked down on women who are not seen to be complying, per RFE/RL.

BBC News also noted that according to Netblocks, a cybersecurity and internet governance watchdog, internet connections went down in Tehran and Saqqez during the protests. Users said they could not upload videos on Instagram or send content via Whatsapp, per the news outlet.

Iran has previously shut down the internet to suppress political protests. In 2019, the country's Supreme National Security Council ordered a week-long internet blackout to stifle nationwide protests.