The popular uprising against Iran’s theocratic rulers was sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who was held for allegedly violating the country’s largely female-led clothing laws. Universities have been a battleground for days and on Wednesday riot police were deployed around campuses in several cities, including Tehran, Reuters reported, citing witnesses. “There are many security forces around Tehran University. I am afraid to even leave the campus. Many police vans are waiting outside to arrest students,” said a student in the capital. Students join anti-government protests in schools across Iran – video This week high school students have also played an increasingly important role. They attacked symbols of the ruling regime, including portraits of prominent clerics, removed their headscarves and documented their struggle against decades of restrictions in videos and photographs. Schoolgirls took part in street protests in 1979 against the compulsory hijab of the new Islamic government under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Contempt spread quickly, despite more than 1,500 arrests and a bloody government crackdown that left dozens dead and hundreds injured. The video shared online on Wednesday appeared to show a group of students chanting “death to Khamenei”. Other schoolgirls shouted “get lost” at a member of a volunteer government paramilitary force who had been brought in to speak to them. The death of Nika Shakrami, who would have turned 17 at the weekend, has become the focus of online activists who say she was killed in the first days of the protests in late September. After she disappeared, her family spent several days searching for her before her death was confirmed. The government responded to growing public outrage by launching an investigation. Officials told state media there were no bullet wounds on the teenager’s body, her death was not linked to protests and she had fallen from the roof. “A case has been filed in the criminal court to investigate the causes of Nika Sakrami’s death,” Tehran Public Prosecutor Ali Salehi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency late Tuesday. “An order has been issued to investigate the case.” Another state news agency, Tasnim, said eight people were arrested in connection with the death. The government has stepped up efforts to quell the protests as they spread across the country and across ethnic and class lines. Authorities claimed the leaderless movement was instigated by foreign agents. The dress code for women – at the heart of the protests – was defended by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force, who said protesters wanted “women’s nudity and brazenness”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In addition to using violence in the streets, Iran’s leaders have tried to block access to the Internet in an attempt to stop the use of social networking sites to coordinate protests and share news. The threat of prison has also been used in an attempt to silence celebrities in Iran. Singer Shervin Hajipour was arrested after his song For, which uses social media protest messages as lyrics, became an unofficial protest anthem. He was released on bail, but soon after took to Instagram to denounce foreign “movements” for “improper use of his song”. But many people suggested the post was a coerced statement, made under duress while in custody. Human rights groups have often criticized Iran for forcing prisoners to confess. The protests came at a time of rising tensions with the West, when efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal have stalled. In a rare concession, Iran on Wednesday allowed 85-year-old Baquer Namazi, a US citizen and former UNICEF executive, to leave the country. The US had demanded his release as a condition for reviving the nuclear deal. Namazi was arrested in 2016 when he traveled to Iran to press for the release of his son Siamak, who had been arrested several months earlier on espionage charges. Siamak Namazi was released from prison on leave but remains in Iran. His father who needs urgent medical treatment landed in Oman on Wednesday. Iran’s foreign ministry also summoned the British ambassador on Tuesday to protest “intrusive” comments from the UK. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley described the violence in Iran as “truly shocking”. Moment Swedish MP cuts her hair in protest against Iranian regime during EU assembly – video
