After being arrested for inappropriate covering by Iran’s morality police on Tuesday, September 13, Amini was taken to a guidance center and suffered a heart attack while in custody three days later. Reports about the nature of her death were conflicting; while some claimed that Amini was beaten by police and received blows to her head, others cited the coroner’s report, which concluded that her death was not caused by blows to the head or any vital organs, and reported that she died after suffering multiple organ failure following her heart attack ^[72]. The coroner’s report also linked Amini’s death to pre-existing medical conditions ^[54]. The dubious nature of Amini’s death became a controversial one, especially as protests and hashtag campaigns began erupting before investigations into her death were completed ^[55].

On the other hand, Iranian news agencies claim that the deaths of these Iranian youth were part of a larger distortion and misinformation campaign. For example, a CCTV video that went viral showed Nika Shakarami walking alone toward a building while talking on her phone. This was the last footage from her before her lifeless body was discovered in the backyard of a house on Labafi Street the next day. Autopsy tests revealed that the injuries she had sustained indicated that she fell from a height, and no traces of bullets were identified ^[70]. 

Following the death of her daughter, Hadis Najafi’s mother recorded a statement for BBC, stating that Hadis’ body was covered in shotgun bullets. This is while it is a known fact that Iranian security forces do not carry shotguns, and reports have shown that several police and security officers have been killed with shotgun bullets used by rioters and potential foreign-backed forces who are armed on the streets ^[75]. In an interview with Tasnim News, Hadis Najafi’s father denied claims by BBC that his daughter was killed by police officers, stating that her blood is on the hands of foreign-based opposition forces working to create division and chaos among Iranians ^[73,74].

Rioters, too, have attacked and injured police officers and set fire to ambulances, cars, and public property throughout the past several weeks. Chilling footage shows that even civilians have been set on fire. A number of videos show rioters throwing molotov cocktails at security officers who had not even targeted protesters. Iranian news outlets have mentioned that these security officers are not armed with combat weapons, but are present in the streets to prevent rioting and destruction. Two such security forces in Karaj and Lahijan were stabbed to death with cold weapons, several police kiosks were set on fire in Alborz province as five policemen and six civilians were injured, and police cars were attacked as rioters injured security officers who were not even involved with protesters ^{[76, 77, 78]}. Since the beginning of protests, more than 2,000 security officers have been injured and over 50 police officers have been killed during riots, according to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani ^{[31, 56]}.

While some investigative reports have shown that the police were not responsible for injuries inflicted on protesters, video evidence does reveal that the security officers have responded with violence in many instances. Footage shows some security officials beating and kicking protesters, and dragging them on the ground toward police cars. Thousands have reportedly been arrested in protests so far, but Iranian Judiciary Spokesman Massoud Setayeshi explained that the judiciary distinguishes between those who instigated riots with foreign assistance and those who had no criminal motives ^[33]. Most detained protesters and journalists who were not found to have criminal motives were released.

It cannot be ignored, however, that many individuals were arrested and found to be foreign agents carrying out acts of murder and violence against peaceful protesters ^[65]. Some appear to be trained individuals who are equipped with arms and weapons. Videos have revealed that many of these rioters have been going on a rampage across the country, attacking security officers, assaulting people who appear religious, pulling off the veils of women wearing the chador, vandalizing public property, desecrating religious sanctities, and even setting people on fire in the streets ^[65]. One religious scholar from a mosque in Zahedan was assassinated in a drive-by shooting, and another scholar was attacked and stabbed several times by rioters in Karaj while walking toward his home [82, 83]. Many peaceful protesters backed off from the streets after witnessing these events and recognizing that other hands may be at play as the chaos was taken advantage of for ulterior motives ^[65].

With Western imperialist powers salivating at any sign of civil unrest within Iran, it is important to highlight that Iranians have enough agency to protest and voice their opinions without needing a microphone from the West. There certainly have been many protests pertaining to women and freedom in general, but there have also been many denouncing foreign influences, rioting, vandalism, and the desecration of sacred religious symbols ^[2].