Mahsa Amini protests facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahsa Amini protests
Part of the Iranian protests against compulsory hijab and the aftermath of the death of Mahsa Amini
Date	16 September 2022 – present (2022-09-16 – present) (2 years, 2 months and 6 days)
Location	Iran, with solidarity rallies worldwide
Caused by	Death of Mahsa Amini Mandatory hijab law since 1979 Protests and crackdowns against the Iranian Democracy Movement, and Girls of Enghelab protests Human rights abuses perpetrated by the Morality Police Killing of hundreds of protesters
Goals	Toppling of the Iranian regime The protection of civil and political rights, including women's rights Revoking mandatory religious requirements, such as the mandatory hijab law Dissolution of the Morality Police Prosecuting the killers of Mahsa Amini Police and government reforms
Methods	Demonstrations Strikes Civil disobedience, including defiance of hijab laws
Status	Ongoing

Mahsa Amini protests began on 14 September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in Tehran, Iran while being in police custody, following a detention for not wearing her hijab properly.

The Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that Amini had a heart attack at the police station, collapsed, and fell into a coma before being transferred to a hospital. However, eyewitnesses, including women who were detained with Amini, reported that she died as a result of police brutality, which was denied by the Iranian authorities.

As the protests spread from Amini's hometown of Saqqez to other cities in the Iranian Kurdistan and throughout Iran, the government responded with widespread Internet blackouts, nationwide restrictions on social media usage, tear gas and gunfire.

Although the protests have not been as deadly as those in 2019 (when more than 1,500 were killed), they have been "nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools", and called the "biggest challenge" to the government of Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. At least 551 people had been killed as a result of the government's intervention in the protests, as of 15 September  2023 (2023 -09-15)^[update]. An estimated 19,262 have been arrested throughout at least 134 cities and towns, and at 132 universities.

Women, including schoolchildren, have played a key role in the demonstrations. In addition to demands for increased rights for women, the protests have demanded the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, setting them apart from previous major protest movements in Iran, which have focused on election results or economic woes.

The government's response to the protests has been widely condemned.

See also

In Spanish: Protestas por la muerte de Mahsa Amini para niños