Iran protests spread and internet curbed
STORY: At least eight people are reported to have been killed at protests in Iran - after the death of a woman who was arrested for ‘unsuitable attire’.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iranian-Kurdistan died in custody last week after she was arrested by the morality police.
It's sparked nationwide anger and the protests have spread to at least 50 cities in Iran, and numerous major cities worldwide.
Rallies have been held in Istanbul, Amsterdam, Berlin and Toronto.
Women have played a prominent role, waving and burning their veils, with some cutting their hair in public and in videos posted online.
Nasibe Shamsi is an Iranian women living in Istanbul: 6957
‘"It's a revolution that has started with the murder of a young Iranian woman and it will not end easily. Many of my friends are in prison, or have been killed or have had to leave their homeland because of the hejab issue. In Iran women are suppressed."
Javad Dabiran is the spokesman for the national resistance council Iran – in Berlin: 6597
“People in Iran no longer want a dictatorship. They openly oppose it. They are tired of Khomeini, mullahs and also of the Shah. They want a republic based on the separation between religion and the state. That’s why we are here.”
With no signs of the protests easing in Iran – the authorities have now restricted access to the internet, according to the group NetBlocks.
Amini fell into a coma while held by the morality police - who enforce strict rules in Iran requiring women to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes in public.
The circumstances surrounding the death are still unclear.
Police are rejecting allegations that she was beaten, saying instead that she fell ill as she waited with other detained women.
But her father says the police are responsible for her death.
A top aide to Iran's supreme leader has paid condolences to the family, promising to follow up on the case.
Shamsi hopes one day things will change in Iran:
"Today, men and women Iran are together in wanting to destroy the Islamic Republic forever. Women in Iran must be free and I hope they will be liberated in Iranian society. and when women are liberated then the whole society will be liberated."
On Wednesday in Tehran, hundreds shouted "death to the dictator" at Tehran University. Reuters could not verify the video's authenticity.
The UN rights office have called for an impartial probe into Amini’s death.
