An Iranian man has told The National that two of his young nieces were detained for protesting in Qom, a city of significant religious importance.
Ashkan, who asked to be identified by his first name only for fear of reprisal from the Iranian authorities, said a demand to end the compulsory hijab is tied to calls for an end to the Tehran government.
“I saw hundreds of people in the streets, unlike the protests of 2017 and 2019. This time, they are calling for the removal of the regime, and not just the hijab,” Ashkan told The National from outside Iran.
“My two nieces were detained. One of them is 14 years old. She was released that same night. The other is 18 years old. She has been released on a bail of about $30,000.”
Ashkan's nieces, like many others, were protesting against the government's mandatory hijab. He said the demonstrations were not simply about the regime's compulsory dress code for women.
The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in police custody on September 16 for allegedly breaching Iran's strict dress code for women.
Demonstrations were fuelled by the deaths of young protesters including Nika Shakarami, 16, who had been missing for 10 days before her family was informed.
Iran has denied that Amini was killed in a beating and ordered a “full investigation” into the circumstances of her death.
At least 201 people, including 23 children, have been killed since the protests began, Oslo-based Iran Human Rights said.
“Children have a legal right to protest,” IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said on Wednesday. “The United Nations has an obligation to defend children’s rights in Iran by applying pressure on the Islamic republic.”
Internet monitoring platform Netblocks reported "major disruption" to the network in Iran from around 9.30am local time as protests raged on.
Protesters were seen burning images of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“They are mostly students from high schools and universities. We can't distinguish between the demand for the end of the compulsory hijab and the removal of the regime. There's a big tie between the two. People understand that without being against the government, we can't get rid of the compulsory hijab,” Ashkan said.
He said he came from a religious family with women who, themselves, wear the hijab out of choice not out of compulsion, but they chose to take to the streets anyway.
He also said it was too late to quell demonstrations with reforms.
“In my view, it's too late for bringing that kind of freedom to society. If it was in the last two decades, that might have been enough — but now, protesters are not satisfied with just making the hijab non-compulsory.”
Mahsa Amini's death
On Monday, Iran's High Council for Human Rights released a report determining the “real cause” of Amini's death.
“After undergoing craniopharyngioma surgery to remove a brain tumour at the age of 8, the deceased developed a disorder in the important hypothalamus-pituitary axis and the glands under its command, including adrenal and thyroid,” the report read.
“It should be noted that on the strength of hospital medical documents, the examination of CT scan of the brain and lungs, the results of physical examination of the body and autopsy as well as pathology tests, death was not caused by blows to the head or any vital organs and parts of the body.”
Amini's father told BBC Persian that the documents released by the Iranian authorities to support their version of events on Amini's pre-existing conditions are bogus.
“All of the documents the authorities are showing are fake. They are lying. Mahsa did not have any issues. She only had minor issues to remove an under-skin cyst from her left eye 15 years ago. I don't know how they come up with these lies. I reject them all,” he said.
“My daughter was beaten and that's the reason she died.”
He also said if the authorities had been truthful, they would have let the family see Mahsa's body one last time before her burial.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
New Zealand squad
Tim Southee (capt), Trent Boult (games 4 and 5), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (games 1-3), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
UAE Rugby finals day
Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai
2pm, UAE Conference final
Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers
4pm, UAE Premiership final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
