Mahsa Amini death: Nine Europeans arrested for protesting against Iranian government

Nine people from several European countries were arrested by the Iranian security forces for allegedly participating in the protests against the custodial death of the 22 years old woman Mahsa Amini last month.

According to reports, the nine people are from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and other countries.

"The intelligence ministry on Friday said that they were detained during the riots or while plotting in the background,”the Iranian media said.

The ministry added that the relevant embassies, including Germany, France, UK and Sweden, were warned over the involvement of their 'agents'in the anti-government protests, BBC reported.

For the past three weeks, the country has been rocked by widespread protests, which have, at times, turned violent, resulting in the death of civilians.

Though there is no official figure, the activists from Iran Human Rights (IHR), a Norway-based organisation, have claimed that at least 76 protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces.

Notably, women have been taking to the streets by removing their headscarves in public and cutting their hair in protest against the strict rules on women's dress and general behaviour.

Moreover, reports have claimed that 19 more people died on Friday following a standoff between protesters and police at a police station in Zahedan, the provincial capital of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

The agitation began after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the mandatory dress code.

It is being claimed that the woman wore the mandatory hijab (an Islamic headscarf) too loosely.

Amini's family claimed that she was beaten to death while the government officials have refuted it, claiming that she died of a heart attack.

(With inputs from agencies)

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