Jina (Mahsa) Amini’s tomb has been vandalised, revealed her brother Askan Amini in a social media post.
The twenty-two-year-old Kurdish woman died in September of last year, in custody of Iran’s morality police. She had been arrested for “improper hijab” (not conforming to the country’s strict Islamic dress code). Her death, allegedly as a result of severe head injuries endured during the first two hours of detention, triggered nationwide anti-government protests presenting one of the most significant challenges the Islamic Republic has ever witnessed.
Alongside a photo of the smashed tombstone Askan expressed defiance. “Even the glass of your tombstone bothers them. Break it a thousand times, we will fix it again, let’s see who gets tired,” he said.
Iranian authorities have been contentious about the laying of memorials for protesters killed during the uprisings. Earlier this year, the republic prevented the installation of a head stone on the grave of Mohsen Shekhari, a young man hanged in December by Iran’s clerical rule for participating in the protests. An anonymous group of dissidents went ahead and erected a tombstone, but it was subsequently removed by the authorities.
Meanwhile, the execution of three protesters on 19 May reinvigorated street protests across Iran. Tehran’s neighbourhoods saw demonstrations on Saturday evening which continued into the early hours of Sunday. Anti-regime slogans reverberated throughout the capital, and sporadic clashes erupted as security forces attempted to disperse protesters, who in some areas had managed to block roads by setting fire to rubbish bins.
Iran’s execution of protesters continues to receive international objection and outrage. At Cannes Film Festival, Iranian artists seized the opportunity to draw attention to the Islamic Republic’s latest execution spree. On the festival’s fifth day on Saturday, images of the three recently hanged Esfahan (Isfahan) protesters were displayed by Iranian film directors.
