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Families of government victims gathered to commemorate their loved ones and demand justice. June 9, 2023
Iran’s security forces arrested dozens of families of the victims of state violence in two Kurdish cities where they gathered to commemorate their loved ones.
The families were from the cities of Dehgolan, Sanandaj, Divandareh and Saqqez, who had traveled on Friday to visit the graves of those killed during the nationwide protests in Bukan and Saqqez.
The petitioning families chanted, "We Will Stand Until the End" and "Woman Life Freedom".
In Aichi cemetery in Saqqez, where Mahsa Amini’s body is laid to rest, dozens held the pictures of their loved ones.
However, regime agents arrested and transferred about 40 of them to an unknown location, including six mothers of young victims.
During the recent protests in Iran, ignited by the death in custody of 22-year-old Amini in September 2022, security forces killed hundreds of people and many more received permanent injuries. More than 20,000 people, including university students, actors and journalists were also detained.
The authorities not only failed to accept any responsibility but they put pressure on some of the victims' families who made statements against regime officials during funerals or on social networks. Relatives of many victims killed by the government have been summoned for questioning and arrested.
According to human rights groups, the Islamic Republic has killed over 500 people, including at least 70 children, during its crackdown on the ongoing protests.
