Harry Potter and the Case of the Prisoners of Persia

Call it “Harry Potter and the Case of the Prisoners of Persia”: J.K. Rowling is showing support for women protesting against the compulsory hijab in Iran. “What true bravery looks like,” the British author writes on Twitter, while sharing a video of Iranian women burning hijabs and cutting their hair. The first writer in history to earn a billion dollars in royalties, thanks to her Harry Potter series, Mrs. Rowling has been shedding light on the growing tensions in Iran, as people take to the streets to protest the death of a 22-year-old woman who died after being arrested and abused by the police for violating hijab regulations, Mahsa Amini. On Monday, hundreds marched the streets of Tehran while chanting “death to the dictator.” Videos circulating on social media show women taking off their hijabs and demanding justice and accountability. Protesters in the northwestern province of Kurdistan also coordinated a strike against police abuses of women, according to Kurdistan 24. Videos online show the police firing on protesters. At least 38 persons were injured, according to a report from a Norwegian group, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. An Iranian news agency, Fars, says protesters were “not convinced” by the police’s explanation of Amini’s death.During a press briefing on Monday, the police commander at Tehran, Hossein Rahimi, said that “cowardly accusations” were made against the police and denied that they mistreated Amini during her arrest.“There was no negligence on the part of the police, not even a small slip; all the words published in cyberspace about the cause of death are pure lies,” Mr. Rahimi said. While Iranian officials say that Amini suffered a heart attack, her family says she did not have a pre-existing heart condition, according to one Iranian media outlet, Emtedad news. New CT scans reportedly complicate the situation: they disclosed a bone fracture, a hemorrhage, and brain edema, indicating that she died after being struck on the head. On September 14, morality police officers arrested Amini in Tehran for not meeting hijab government standards. They told her family she would be released after a “re-education” session. She was then put in a van and found in a coma in a nearby hospital. She died on September 16.Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, who has restricted women’s dress codes since his election last year, called Amini’s family to express his condolences, according to local news organizations. On Tuesday, he was traveling to New York to address the UN General Assembly about a nuclear deal with the West. America has asked for accountability regarding the death of Amini, calling it an “appalling and egregious affront to human rights,” according to a spokesman for the White House National Security Council.“Women in Iran should have the right to wear what they want, free from violence and harassment. Iran must end its use of violence against women to exercising their fundamental freedoms,” the official said.

Harry Potter and the Case of the Prisoners of Persia

Harry Potter and the Case of the Prisoners of Persia

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