Thousands of people in Iran have again taken to the streets in protests following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody.

Amini died after she was detained for violating Iran’s strict Islamic dress code for women.

On Wednesday night, violent clashes erupted again between protesters and security forces.

Unverified videos also reported live ammunition being fired at the protesters.

The internet has been massively restricted and mobile networks in particular largely been shut down, with Instagram, one of the last free social networks, blocked.

Iranian football star Ali Karimi has, however, shown solidarity with the protests in his home country, with the former professional player receiving encouragement from outraged fans.

“Don’t be afraid of strong women. Maybe the day will come when they are your only army,” Karimi wrote on Twitter. Karimi himself lives in Iran.

The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested a week ago by the morality police for violating the strict Islamic dress code.

What exactly happened to Amini after her arrest is unclear, but she fell into a coma and died in hospital on Friday.

Critics have accused the morality police of using violence, but the police have rejected the accusations.

Since then, thousands of people have been demonstrating across the country against the government’s repressive course.

(dpa/NAN)