Former Iranian president’s daughter arrested for ‘inciting riots’

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – The daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been arrested for allegedly “inciting riots” in the wake of the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody.

A report by the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Faezeh Hashemi was arrested by a security agency for “instigating riots in east Tehran.”

Tehran and other major Iranian cities have been rocked by angry protests since Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody last week after she was detained by the country’s morality police for “dressing inappropriately.”

The protests have taken a violent turn, leaving at least 41 dead, including civilians and police officers. Hundreds of people have also been arrested, including activists.

Hashemi, a 59-year-old prominent women’s rights activist, has a history of run-ins with Iran’s security agencies for alleged “anti- government” activities.

In July this year, she was charged with “propaganda activity against the Islamic Republic” over her comments in an interview on the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations.

In September 2012, Hashemi spent six months in a Tehran jail on charges of “propaganda activities” after she reportedly referred to Iran’s judiciary as “thugs and hoodlums” in an interview.

Before that, she was arrested a few times during the unrest of 2009, which was triggered by the disputed election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Her father served as the country’s president from 1989 to 1997. A reformist, he also held many other important positions during his eventful political career before passing away in 2017.