Iranian authorities have stepped up the detentions of rights activists, mainly women, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has warned. In a statement on August 21, CHRI said 22 activists had been detained in less than a month, as the anniversary approaches of the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, in September last year. "Iranian authorities are rounding up activists around the country, especially women, to deliver a message of fear to the populace," CHRI said. Amini's death after being arrested for not wearing a head scarf "properly" sparked a wave of unprecedented protests across Iran.
Iran Rights Group Says Number Of Activists' Arrests Piles Up
An Iranian woman walks past an anti-U.S. mural around the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran.