IRAN: On Friday, Iranians demonstrated on the streets and on social media against the death of a young woman who had fallen into a coma while being held by morality police who were enforcing the country’s strict hijab laws.
Mahsa Amini, 22, was visiting the Iranian capital with her family when she was taken into custody on Tuesday by the police division in charge of enforcing the Islamic republic’s stringent dress code for women, which includes the need that they cover their faces in public.
Iranian state media stated that “unfortunately, she passed away and her body was taken to the medical examiner’s office.”
Persian media, including the Iran Wire website and the Shargh newspaper, stated that the previously healthy Amini had died after being transferred to the hospital soon after being jailed, as claimed by her relatives.
What transpired between her arrival at the police station and her departure for the hospital is still unclear. According to the 1500 tavsir channel, which monitors violations in Iran, her skull had been struck.
Social media posts showed crowds gathering outside the hospital where she was receiving care and cops attempting to scatter the dozens of people who had gathered. Later in the evening in Tehran, people could be seen furiously yelling anti-regime chants.
Justice must be served
Amnesty International stated: “The circumstances leading to the suspicious death in prison of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, which include claims of torture and other ill-treatment in detention, must be legally investigated.”
“Three days before she passed away, she was arbitrarily detained by Tehran’s so-called “morality police,” who were implementing the oppressive, demeaning, and discriminatory regulations requiring women to wear the forced veil. Justice must be served on all responsible agents and authorities, “it was added.
Those responsible for her death “must be held accountable,” according to Robert Malley, the US envoy for Iran who is actively working to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement.
He commented on Twitter, “It is horrible that Mahsa Amini died from injuries he got while being held for wearing an ‘improper’ hijab. Iran must stop harming women who exercise their basic rights by using violence against them.”
Saeid Dehghan, a well-known Iranian lawyer, also referred to Amini’s passing as a “murder” on Twitter, claiming that she had been struck in the head and suffered a fractured skull as a result.
On Friday, state media allegedly aired photos of her collapsing while arguing with one of the female instructors about her attire in a large room filled with women.
Tehran police stated, that “there was no physical interaction” between officers and Amini in a statement on Friday.
According to the report, Amini was one of several women who were brought to a police station on Tuesday for “education” on the clothing code.
The statement read, “She abruptly fainted while with other visitors in the hall.” Earlier, President Ebrahim Raisi directed the interior ministry to launch an investigation into Amini’s case.
Government responsible
Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, called her passing a “preventable tragedy.”
Iran’s administration is in charge. “She was detained by the government and died there after being arrested in violation of the state’s discriminatory forced-hijab statute,” he stated.
After the 1979 revolution, Iran’s sharia legislation was implemented, and women are now required to cover their hair and wear long, baggy clothing to hide their figures. Infringers risk reprimand from the public, penalties, or arrest.
Numerous ladies of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds are seen donning thigh-length coats that are tight-fitting and colourful scarves that are pulled back to display a lot of hair.
Decades after the revolution, clerical rulers still struggle to enforce the law.
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