On October 12, Xatar drew attention to the protests in Iran via Instagram because “no one is reporting about it”. He is particularly worried about “his city” Sanandaj, the capital of the western Iranian province of Kurdistan.
The protests there are said to be particularly violent because the protesting people are said to be unarmed. Xatar finds: “There’s a massacre going on, they’re shooting children in the head. […] These are civilians.” He also draws a comparison with other cities where protests are currently taking place. According to him, you can see there that Kurds could defend themselves with weapons and stand up for themselves. However, this is allegedly not the case in Sanandaj – Sine in Kurdish – which is why the protests there are “the worst” for him. The people of Sine took to the streets after him to stand up for their rights and did not engage in armed resistance.
What happened?
Masha Amini, also known by her Kurdish name as Zhina Amina, was arrested on September 13 for not wearing her hijab in accordance with the law. She was rushed to a hospital a few hours after her arrest and was pronounced dead on September 16, 2022.
While most suspect police brutality, police say the 22-year-old died of a stroke and heart attack. A CT scan is said to have diagnosed a broken bone in the head.
Since then there have been protests against the Iranian government and the so-called vice police. According to that Center of Human Rights in Iran 185 people, including 19 children, are said to have been murdered and over 1,800 people arrested (as of October 10).
The Guardians quotes one protester as follows: “They’ve sealed off the city and are slaughtering people with guns and bombs just because they want freedom.”