Mahsa Amini: DTLA protest over Iran, women's rights draws thousands
LOS ANGELES - Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of downtown Los Angeles Saturday in support of Iranians standing up to their leadership over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody.
The Freedom Rally for Iran drew thousands to Los Angeles City Hall. According to organizers, the protests that ensued have "demanded an end to the deeply misogynistic political and legal system that Iran's dictatorship has imposed on its people for more than four decades."
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets over the last two weeks to protest the death of Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Iran’s morality police in the capital of Tehran for allegedly not adhering to Iran’s strict Islamic dress code.
Scattered anti-government protests appeared to break out in Tehran and running clashes with security forces in other towns, social media reports showed on Sunday, even as the government has moved to block, partly or entirely, internet connectivity in Iran.
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The protesters have vented their anger over the treatment of women and wider repression in the Islamic Republic. The nationwide demonstrations rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution.
Iranian state TV has reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began Sept. 17. An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 14 dead, with more than 1,500 demonstrators arrested.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.