Iran tightens security as shops shut on Mahsa Amini anniversary
Businesses across western Iran closed as security forces deployed in Kurdish cities
Iranian security forces tightened their presence across western cities on Wednesday as shopkeepers closed businesses and workers stayed home to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa “Jina” Amini, whose death in police custody in September 2022 triggered one of the Islamic Republic’s largest anti-government protest movements.
The shutdown followed a call by an alliance of Iranian Kurdish political groups for a general strike on September 16, urging businesses to close and workers to remain at home.
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Videos and reports reviewed by Iran International and other Iranian rights-monitoring outlets showed shuttered shops and bazaars in Saqqez, Sanandaj, Mahabad, Bukan, Oshnavieh, Paveh, Divandareh, Kermanshah and Marivan.
Saqqez under heavy security
The strongest security measures were reported in Saqqez, Amini’s hometown and the location of her grave at Aichi Cemetery.
Reports said security forces, anti-riot units and military vehicles were deployed around major roads and city squares, while access routes to the cemetery were blocked.
IranWire reported that additional surveillance cameras and camera towers had been installed around the city and cemetery ahead of the anniversary.
Kurdpa, the Kurdistan Press Agency, reported that water from the Chaghar Weis (Cheragh-Veis) Dam was released for a third consecutive year into areas around the cemetery, flooding secondary routes that could otherwise provide access to Amini's grave.
The report also said authorities had expanded CCTV infrastructure along the road to Aichi Cemetery.
The claims come from Kurdish rights-monitoring organisations and could not be independently verified in every detail.
Authorities tried to prevent the strike
The shutdown came despite reported pressure on shopkeepers.
IranWire reported that local officials in Saqqez met with trade-union representatives on Tuesday and sought to prevent businesses from closing.
IranWire is an independent news website founded in 2013 operated by a collaborative network of professional Iranian journalists working in exile alongside citizen journalists stationed inside Iran.
By Wednesday morning, however, footage showed businesses closed not only along major commercial streets but also in residential and peripheral areas of the city.
Kurdpa reported that merchants had also received threatening messages warning that participation in the strike could be treated as a criminal act.
