Family frantically searched for Iranian woman after arrest

By SAMYA KULLAB and SALAR SALIM
Associated Press

SULIMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) — A cousin of Mahsa Amini recounts the family’s frantic search to win her release after the young woman was arrested by Iran’s morality police. Amini’s death in custody has sparked a stunning wave of protests across Iran, with women removing headscarves. The cousin, Irfan Mortezai, says the family is proud that Amini has become a symbol of resistance, but they are lying low out of worries over Iranian security agents. Mortezai spoke to The Associated Press from northern Iraq, where he fled in 2020. He recalls the day when he got a message from Amini’s brother that she had been arrested, and he joined their frantic calls trying to track her down.