The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked widespread protests in Iran. Here's what makes this wave unique.
RELATED: Iranian women cut hair in protest to death of Mahsa Amini [ Ссылка ]
Three weeks into nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was in custody after being arrested by Iran's "morality police," authorities continue to violently crack down on anti-regime demonstrators. Amini was allegedly detained and beaten to death for not conforming to Iran's strict Islamic dress code, which includes, for women, a head covering known as a hijab.
As the uprisings have spread to dozens of cities, the government has blocked internet connectivity in Iran. There have been mass arrests of students, journalists, activists, artists, sports figures and celebrities who have, at great personal risk, expressed a range of social, economic and political grievances with Iran's hard-line government.
Official government tallies claim fewer than 20 people have been killed in the unrest, but human rights and opposition groups say the true figure is probably in the hundreds. In recent days, Iranian authorities have come under pressure to explain the death of Nika Shahkarami, a 16-year-old from Tehran who was followed by security agents and then disappeared after she posted images on Instagram of herself burning her headscarf.
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