Woman, 22, Dies Days After Arrest By ‘Morality Police’ In Iran
-
Roshan Amiri
- . September 17, 2022
- . Update: September 18, 2022 1:02 am
A 22-year-old Iranian woman who fell into a coma after being arrested in Tehran, the capital of Iran, by the morality police died on Friday, with human rights activists urging those responsible for her death to be brought to justice.
The woman, identified as Mahsa Amini, was on a visit with her family to Tehran when she was detained on Tuesday by the police unit responsible for enforcing the strict dress code for women, which includes the compulsory wearing of the headscarf (Hijab) in public places.
According to media reports and various sources, Amini was rushed to hospital in a coma a few hours after her arrest. Later on, the doctor said that they could not save her.
Images and videos posted on social media showed crowds gathering outside the hospital where she was being treated. They also shouted anti-regime slogans. The woman’s video also circulated online. In the video, the woman was seen arguing with one of the female instructors about her dress.
Read more : Russia supports Iran’s accession to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Amnesty International reportedly said, “The so-called ‘morality police’ in Iran arbitrarily arrested her three days before her death while enforcing the country’s abusive, degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws.” Amnesty International demanded justice for the woman.
Robert Malley, the United States envoy for Iran, who is also involved in efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, said those responsible for the woman’s death “must be held accountable.” He wrote on Twitter, “Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained in custody for an ‘improper’ hijab is appalling. Iran must end its violence against women.”
Prominent lawyer of Iran, Saeed Dehghan, also described Amini’s death as a “murder”, saying that she had suffered a blow to the head which affected her skull.
However, in a statement on Friday, Tehran police said that “there was no physical encounter” between officers and Amini.
