Arrests: Iran arrests Amini uncle ahead of her death anniversary

PARIS: Iranian authorities on Tuesday arrested an uncle of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian Kurdish woman who died in custody sparking months of protests, just ahead of the first anniversary of her death, reports said on Tuesday. Safa Aeli, 30, was arrested by security forces in the family’s hometown of Saqez in western Iran, the Kurdish-focused Hengaw rights group said. Hengaw said Iranian authorities deployed a convoy of five vehicles filled with members of the security forces to forcibly enter Aeli’s residence, without presenting any legal documentation. The uncle’s arrest comes as activists accuse the Iranian government of stepping up a crackdown ahead of the September 16 anniversary of the death of Amini, 22, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress rules.