The father of an Iranian woman who died in custody last week has accused authorities of lying about her death, as protests rage across the country despite the government’s attempt to curb dissent with an internet blackout.   

  Amjad Amini, whose daughter Mahsa died after being arrested in Tehran by morality police, said doctors refused to let him see his daughter after her death.   

  Iranian officials claimed she died after suffering a “heart attack” and falling into a coma, but her family said she had no pre-existing heart condition, according to Emtedad news, a pro-reform Iranian media outlet.  Public skepticism about officials’ account of her death has sparked an outpouring of anger that has spilled over into deadly protests.   

  “They lie.  They lie.  It’s all lies… no matter how much I begged, they wouldn’t let me see my daughter,” Amjad Amini told BBC Persia on Wednesday.   

  When he saw his daughter’s body until her funeral, it was completely wrapped except for her legs and face – although he noticed bruises on her legs.  “I have no idea what they did to her,” he said.   

  CNN could not independently verify its account with hospital officials.   

  CCTV footage released by Iran’s state media showed Mahsa Amini collapsing at a “re-education” center where she was taken by morality police to receive “guidance” on how to dress.   

  Her death sparked an outpouring of anger that has snowballed into issues ranging from freedoms in the Islamic Republic to the crippling economic impact of sanctions.   

  Protests and deadly clashes with police have erupted in towns and cities across Iran, despite efforts by authorities to contain the spread of the protests by shutting down the internet.   

  Mobile networks have been largely shut down and access to Instagram and Whatsapp has been restricted, Netblocks announced on Wednesday evening.   

  There has been a near-total blackout of internet access in parts of Iran’s western Kurdistan province since Monday night, and regional blackouts in other parts of the country, including Sanadai and Tehran.   

  This comes after Iran’s Communications Minister warned that there could be internet outages “for security reasons and discussions related to recent events”, according to the country’s semi-official ISNA news agency.   

  The last time Iran saw such a severe blackout was when authorities tried to curb mass protests in late 2019 after fuel prices rose as much as 300 percent.   

  At the time, Iran was almost completely offline – what Oracle’s Internet Intelligence called the “largest internet outage ever seen in Iran”.   

  This week, several Iranian state government websites – including the official websites of the President and the Central Bank of Iran – were also offline, with hacker group Anonymous claiming responsibility.   

  “(Greetings) Citizens of Iran.  This is a message from Anonymous to all of Iran.  We are here and we are with you,” a social media account linked to the team tweeted on Tuesday.   

  “We support your determination for peace against brutality and massacres.  We know that your determination does not stem from revenge, but from your longing for justice.  All tyrants will fall before your courage.  Long live free Iranian women.”   

  The hacker group also claimed responsibility for temporarily taking down the website of Iran’s state news agency Fars early Wednesday morning, according to an Anonymous tweet.  The site has since come back online.

Violent crackdown does not slow protest against Iran’s morality police

  At least eight people, including a teenager, have been killed in recent days due to clashes at the protests, according to human rights group Amnesty International.   

  At least four of those eight “died from injuries sustained by security forces firing metal pellets at close range,” Amnesty said in a report published on Wednesday.   

  Four others were shot dead by security forces, Amnesty said, citing sources in Iran.  He added that eyewitness accounts and video analysis show a pattern of “Iranian security forces illegally and repeatedly firing metal pellets directly at protesters.”   

  Riot police were deployed to disperse protesters on Wednesday night in the capital Tehran and were seen arresting many people, according to witnesses who did not want to be named for security reasons.   

  Riot police fired tear gas in a “heavy crackdown” near Tehran University, a witness said.   

  Another eyewitness in the city’s eastern district said protesters were heard chanting “Death to the dictator,” a reference to Iran’s Supreme Leader, and “I kill whoever killed my sister,” referring to Amini.   

  Videos of protests across the country show people destroying posters of the Supreme Leader and women burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in a symbolic show of defiance.   

  CNN has reached out to police and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who joined riot police Wednesday night in Tehran, for comment.  They have not issued any statement on the protests or the handling of the protests by law enforcement.   

  International activists and leaders also expressed concern over the protests and alleged police brutality.   

  Sweden’s foreign minister said Wednesday that Sweden stands by Iranians mourning Amini and asked authorities to respect their right to peaceful protests.  Germany also called on Iranian authorities to “allow peaceful demonstrations and, above all, not to use further violence” during a press conference on Wednesday.   

  UK Foreign Secretary Tariq Ahmad said Britain was “extremely concerned by reports of serious ill-treatment of Ms Amini and many others by security forces”.   

  “The use of violence in response to the expression of fundamental rights, by women or any other member of Iranian society, is completely unjustified,” the statement said.