According to state news agency IRNA, President Ebrahim Raisi asked Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi to “investigate the causes of the incident with urgency and special attention.” According to reports on social media, Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested earlier this week by the so-called “morality police” after officers apparently found a fault with her headscarf, or hijab. The headscarf has been compulsory for women in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and members of the morality police enforce the strict dress code. Police said Thursday that Amini, who was arrested on Tuesday, was taken to a hospital after reportedly suffering a heart attack while in custody. Pro-reform news sites reported that her uncles said she had no history of heart disease. On Friday, police said there was no violence or physical contact between officers and Amini while she was in custody. Police also showed CCTV footage that appeared to show Amini inside a police station with other detainees.
Iran’s ‘morality police’ in focus
At one point she gets up from a chair, goes to talk to another woman, then holds her head with both hands, trips over a chair and collapses. In the next part of the footage, she is being carried away on a stretcher. The official website of Iran’s judiciary, Mizan.news, reported that Tehran’s chief prosecutor, Ali Salehi, had ordered a police forensic team to look into the medical aspects of the case. Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained in detention for ‘improper’ hijab is horrific. Our thoughts are with her family. Iran must stop violence against women for exercising their fundamental rights. Those responsible for her death should be held accountable #مهسا_امینی —@USEnvoyIran Iran’s morality police have come under fire in recent years for their treatment of people, especially young women, and videos posted on social media show officers forcing women into police vehicles. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has advocated a softer stance towards women who do not conform to the official dress code. However, hardliners have called for harsh punishment, even flogging, arguing that allowing women to show their hair leads to moral decay and the breakup of families. The judiciary has, in recent years, urged the public to inform about women who do not wear the hijab. Since 2017, after dozens of women publicly removed their headscarves in a wave of protests, authorities have adopted tougher measures. Amini’s case has drawn condemnation from Iranian celebrities, athletes and other public figures. Reformist former president Mohammad Khatami said the behavior of the morality police was a “disaster”, while outspoken politician and former MP Mahmoud Sadeqi called on Khamenei to speak publicly about Amini’s case. Popular former soccer player Ali Karimi tweeted that while children of high-ranking officials are leaving the country, “our children are dying.” Hossein Mahini, another ex-footballer, addressed the ethics police in a tweet saying: “We hate you.” The US special envoy for Iran, Robert Maley, tweeted that Amini’s death “in custody for ‘improper’ hijab is appalling.” He added: “Those responsible for her death should be held accountable.”
