To Whom It May Concern,
Country wide protests have been going on in Iran for days. The protest is against the death of a woman Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdistan woman who was detained for unsuitable attire by the law-enforcement agency. The protests, which were started in Iran’s Kurdish-populated northwestern region but have later spread to at least 50 cities and towns nationwide, led to the death of ten or more, including a member of the police and a pro-government militia member. According to available sources, protesters were killed by security forces but the concerned officials denied that they killed protesters. To curb down the protests, social media including WhatsApp and Instagram are restricted in Iran, along with strict law-enforcement measures against protesters.
Of course, it is difficult to understand the exact cause of the death of the stated woman detained by the morality police, a law-enforcement force in Iran responsible for enforcing the laws of the country against immodesty and societal vices, especially when there are oppositional claims of the protesters and government officials. According to available sources, government officials claim that she died because of heart failure. But her family and protesters claim that it is the torture by the police officials in custody that caused her death and led to the nationwide protest that is the largest one after the protests caused by the fuel price hike in 2019 and has torched police stations and vehicles in several cities, along with the death of several protesters. Also, according to human rights organization and newspapers, the death is caused by torture. The positive side is that the Iranian president assured for investigation of the death.
Of course, laws are used to take actions against wrongdoers but it is unacceptable to kill anyone in custody. Since the noted Kurdish woman died in the custody, it is important to know the exact reason for her death. Besides, it is desired that the reasons for the death of protesters are also identified. If it is found that she was killed by the torture of the officials, measures are desired to be taken to bring those who are responsible to justice. It is further desired that the usage of the lethal means of controlling the crowd by the law-enforcement agencies is avoided and concerned Iranian authorities solve the problem by negotiating with protesters about their demands.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
