City of Ottawa installs tribute to Mahsa Amini outside former site of Iranian embassy – Ottawa | Globalnews.ca

The City of Ottawa has installed a commemorative sign in front of the former site of the Iranian embassy that honours Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police after allegedly violating a strict dress code for women.

Amini’s death in September 2022 sparked mass protests in Iran condemning the government’s treatment of women and its broader human-rights record.

The sign at the intersection of Metcalfe and MacLaren Streets features her full name — Mahsa Jina Amini — on a background of an Iranian flag.

The former embassy site remains unoccupied more than a decade after Canada and Iran halted formal diplomatic relations.

Politicians from all levels of government attended the ceremony, including Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden, Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi, Kanata-Carleton MP Jenna Sudds and Ottawa-Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari, who is of Iranian descent.

Ottawa’s city council voted to create the tribute to Amini in January after a motion by city councillors Theresa Kavanagh and Ariel Troster, and the city expects to move the signage to City Hall after a year.