Forty days after the death of young Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, police in Tehran used tear gas at a demonstration on Wednesday by doctors.

The doctors were demonstrating against the presence of security forces in the hospitals where protesters were being treated.

Witnesses confirmed a massive deployment of police and checkpoints on the main streets of Tehran on Wednesday, which marked  the end of a traditional 40-day mourning period.

Many shops were closed for fear of riots.

The mass protests were triggered by the death of the 22-year-old Amini. The morality police had arrested her for allegedly violating strict Islamic dress codes. She died in police custody on September 16.

Since her death, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the government’s repressive policies toward women and the strict Islamic system of rule.

Meanwhile, in Ms Amini’s home town of Saghez, many people gathered at her grave to mark the 40-day mourning period.

Police and security authorities sealed off many roads in the city.

Schools in the Kurdish province were also closed on Wednesday, officially because of a flu epidemic. Observers, however, said the closures were meant to prevent protests. 

(dpa/NAN)