Mahsa Amini's uncle arrested ahead of protest anniversary

Safa Aeli, the uncle of Mahsa Amini, was arrested on Tuesday, a little over a week ahead of the anniversary of Amini's killing by Tehran "morality police," the 1500tasvir account reported.

According to 1500tasvir, which has closely covered protest activity in Iran in recent years, a large number of Iranian forces stormed Aeli's house and arrested him.

The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that Aeli was transferred to an unknown location after being arrested in Saqqez.

Amini was arrested by "morality police" officers in Tehran in mid-September last year for allegedly incorrectly wearing her hijab, with her family saying that she was beaten by the officers in the van that brought her to the police station.

At the police station, she collapsed and was brought to the hospital where she later died. Her relatives have told foreign media that they were kept largely in the dark about the situation.

Amini’s death in September 2022 sparked nationwide protests often referred to as the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests that swept across Iran for months, only declining in January. Protests have periodically renewed in several locations in the months since then.

In May, glass around Amini's gravestone was shattered by vandals.

Amini's brother, Ashkan Amini, published a photo of the shattered glass on his Instagram story, writing "the glass of your tombstone also bothers them" and "break it a thousand times. We will fix it again. Let's see who gets tired."

The lawyer for Amini's family, Saleh Nikbakht, confirmed the report of the vandalism as well, stating that "people known to have done the same things in the past attacked and destroyed the grave," according to a statement published by Radio Farda.

Nikbakht added that the family has been prevented by government forces from constructing a canopy over the grave as well, with the person who was supposed to build the canopy being told his shop will be sealed if he does so.

Iranian authorities intensify crackdown ahead of anniversary of Amini's death

The arrest of Amini's uncle comes as Iranian authorities intensify their crackdown on activists and the relatives of protesters who were arrested or killed in the protests. Iranian officials have expressed concerns that protests could renew on the anniversary, set to take place on September 16.

According to Hengaw, at least 72 relatives of arrested or killed protesters have been arrested in the past five months.

Last week, Iranian singer Mehdi Yarrahi was arrested after publishing a music video expressing support for Iranian women protesting against hijab mandates and encouraging women to remove their hijab.

In early August, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami stated that the protests sparked after the murder of Mahsa Amini by Tehran's "morality police" were "the strongest, most dangerous, and most serious" such protests in Iran.

Salami additionally referred to the protests as "the most unequal and broadest global fight against Iran's Islamic system," claiming that "the enemy was defeated in this heavy fight," according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.

The IRGC commander also accused "the enemy" (usually a reference to the US and Israel) of planning to spark new protests on the anniversary of Amini's death.

In recent weeks, a number of Iranian professors who expressed support for protesting students during last year's demonstrations were suspended or fired from their positions.