Activists say he was beaten and died of a brain bleed, but police say he suffered a heart attack. Her mother dismissed the official excuse as “a lie to cover up the murder of my innocent angel”.
Wearing a headscarf is compulsory in the Islamic Republic and those caught without one face up to two months in jail and a fine.
Amini’s body was returned to her hometown of Saghez in Iran’s restive Kurdish region, where thousands attended her burial on Saturday morning and held a demonstration.
Videos posted on social media showed thousands of locals walking behind her coffin and chanting “death to the dictator” and “shame on our supreme leader” referring to Mr Khamenei. Photos of them tearing down his posters quickly went viral on social media.
Security forces fired tear gas into the protesting crowds, with at least one person suffering head injuries.
A note on Amini’s grave read: “You are not dead. you live as a symbol for our nation.”
Many Iranians blame Mr. Khamenei for her death because the idea of launching a moral force has long been associated with his draconian stance on the role of women in society.
In many of his speeches he praised the actions of the vigilante force and encouraged them to “do whatever you think fit to uphold the moral values of our system in relation to women”.
“This is the same man who spoke for hours condemning the death of George Floyd in America, but didn’t say a single word about the crime that happened in our country in front of him,” said women’s rights activist Fatemeh Sepehri.
Amini’s death has drawn condemnation from many Iranian public figures.
Bahman Ghobadi, a famous filmmaker, said, “Our mother country, Iran, has suffered a brain hemorrhage now. It’s time we all come together and end the injustice that dominates us all.”
Ali Dai, the former captain of Iran’s national football team, tweeted: “My little daughter asks me ‘Dad, what mistake did Mahsha do to die?’ And I’m speechless.”
