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'Say her name': Thousands attend Iran protest in Vancouver, call for justice

Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested for not properly wearing the Islamic headscarf. Have a look at photos and videos from the demonstration.
Elana Shepert
Elana Shepert

Demonstrators flooded Vancouver's streets Sunday (Sept. 25) to protest the death of a young Iranian woman by the regime's morality police. 

Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested for not properly wearing the Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab. She was then taken to a police station where she collapsed. She died three days later. 

While Iranian police have denied any mistreatment, the U.N. human rights office was called in for an investigation. It found police had expanded their patrols in recent months and verified videos of women being slapped in the face, struck with batons and thrown into police vans for wearing the hijab too loosely.

Amini, who was Kurdish, was buried in her home city of Saqez in western Iran. Protests erupted there after her funeral and police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Several protesters were arrested.

On Sept. 21, Iranians experienced a near-total internet blackout. The loss of internet access made it more difficult for demonstrators to communicate and arrange protests.

Massive protests have been held around the world since her death to show solidarity with the demonstrators in Iran and to protest the Islamic republic. 

In Vancouver, Sunday's protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery saw hundreds of people carrying signs with Amini's name, as well as others that called for the removal of the Islamic republic. Several demonstrators cut their hair on the steps of the building while people shouted Amini's name in the crowd. 

Many of the people who attended the Iran protest said they want the country to drop the mandatory hijab law, which came into effect in 1981. They also called for an end to the regime's brutal treatment of prisoners. 

The city's Persian community had previously organized a protest on Sept. 19 at the Vancouver Art Gallery and another on Sept. 21 in front of the U.S. Embassy downtown.

A global day of protest is planned for Oct. 1, with a Vancouver event expected to take place. 

@hell_yeaaaa VANCOUVER MADE ME PROUD #vancouver #mahsaamini ♬ original sound - mais

With files from Maria Diment, The Associated Press, and The Canadian Press.