DIGITAL LIFE

Dictatorship in Iran cuts social media to quell protests over the murder of young Mahsa Amini

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard on Thursday called on the Islamic Republic's judiciary to prosecute "those who spread false news and rumours" about a young woman whose death in police custody sparked protests across the country.

Protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles on Thursday as public outrage over the death showed no signs of abating, with reports of security forces being attacked.

Mahsa Amini, 22, died last week after being arrested in Tehran for wearing "inappropriate attire". She fell into a coma during detention. Authorities said they will launch an investigation into her cause of death.

“We ask the judiciary to identify those who spread false news and rumors on social media and on the streets and who jeopardize the psychological safety of society and to deal with them decisively,” said Guarda, which has quelled protests in the past.

Protests over Amini's death are the biggest in the Islamic Republic since 2019. Most have been concentrated in northwestern Iran, populated by Kurds, but have spread to the capital and at least 50 cities and towns across the country, with police using the force to disperse the protesters.

In the northeast, protesters chanted “Let's die, let's die, but let's get Iran back” near a police station that was set on fire, a video posted on the 1500tasvir Twitter account showed. The account focuses on protests in Iran and has around 100,000 followers.

Another police station was set on fire in Tehran as unrest spread from Kurdistan, Amini's home province and where she was buried on Saturday.

Amini's death has reignited unrest over issues such as restrictions on personal freedoms in Iran, including strict dress codes for women, and an economy suffering from sanctions.

With no sign of easing the protests, authorities have restricted access to the internet, according to reports from Kurdish human rights group Hengaw, residents and internet shutdown observatory NetBlocks.

Women have played a prominent role in the protests, waving and burning their veils, with some cutting their hair in public.

mundophone