Iran’s Skating Federation coach has been arrested by security forces after footage emerged of her carrying a ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protest placard.

The footage -which surfaced on social media – reportedly shows a woman believed to be Mahsa Yazdani, from Iran’s Talesh county, demonstrating in Talesh on 26th October.

Her placard bears the slogan ‘Zen, Zendegl, Azadi’ – for ‘Women, Life, Freedom’. with her hair apparently uncovered.

Elsewhere in the footage, a woman is seen – in what appears to be an animated image – aiming a kung-fu kick at Iranian security forces wearing full riot gear.

‘Women, Life, Freedom’ is a popular political Kurdish slogan that is used in both Kurdish independence and democratic confederalist movements. The slogan has been adopted by protesters in Iran and around the world in furious anti-hijab protests.

It is currently unclear who filmed the images purporting to show Mahsa Yazdani carrying the placard.

Iranian forces have been cracking down on waves of civil disorder following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, who was on a visit to Tehran when she was arrested by morality police, accused of violating hijab rules on 13th September.

She was allegedly beaten while in custody and spent the following days in a coma in the hospital before succumbing in the ICU on 16th September.

The clinic where she was treated said in a now-deleted social media post that she had been admitted brain-dead.

Alleged medical scans of her skull leaked by hackers showed that she had suffered bone fractures, haemorrhages, and brain oedema.

Independent Iranian media have claimed that Mahsa’s medical records showing her history of heart disease were faked by the Iranian government.

Dissident Iranian activists have now reportedly said that over 400 people have died as a result of security forces cracking down on the protests gripping the country.