Mahsa Amini was arrested by the morality police last week Demonstrations broke out in areas such as Tehran, the Kurdish province The morality police impose strict dress codes on women
DUBAI, Sept 19 (Reuters) – Iranian police said on Monday the death of a young woman in custody was an “unfortunate incident”, a semi-official news agency reported, denying allegations of ill-treatment that sparked a third day of anti-authority protests. Mahsa Amini, 22, fell into a coma and died after being arrested in Tehran last week by morality police, sparking protests in Tehran and her home province of Kurdistan. read more Her death has been condemned nationally, with the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini reaching nearly 2 million mentions on Twitter. The most intense protests took place in Iranian Kurdistan, where authorities had previously cracked down on unrest among the Kurdish minority. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up On Monday, protesters threw stones at security forces in the town of Divandarreh in the Kurdish region, according to a video posted on Twitter by the Kurdish rights group Hengaw. A widely followed Iranian Twitter account focused on the protests in Iran said shopkeepers had gone on strike in Kurdish towns. Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the video. Police said Amini fell ill as she waited with other women to be detained by the morality police, who enforce strict rules imposed by Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that required women to cover their hair and wear loose clothes in public. But her father told the pro-reform Emtedad news website on Sunday that his daughter had no health problems, adding that she had bruises on her legs and that he held the police responsible for her death. Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi said that “brazen accusations” had been made against Iranian police, that Amini was not physically harmed and that the police “did everything” to keep her alive. “This incident was unfortunate for us and we wish to never witness such incidents,” Rahimi said in the statement carried by the Fars news agency. Police released a video showing a woman identified as Amini entering a room and sitting with others. It then fast forwards to show her at her feet talking to someone inspecting some of her clothing. The woman then raised her hands to her head and collapsed. Rahimi said paramedics arrived within a minute, too A newspaper with a cover photo of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic Republic’s “morality police” is seen in Tehran, Iran, September 18, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS read more He could not comment on the cause of death as it was a medical matter. Violators of Iran’s sharia, or Islamic law, face public reprimand, fines or arrest. However, activists have recently urged women to remove their veils despite a crackdown on “immoral behaviour” by hardline rulers. read more An official body promoting Islamic morals has urged reform in the way Iran enforces rules on wearing the hijab, calling for less policing and more encouragement for women to observe the rules.
“CLERICS GET LOST”
Protests broke out on Saturday during Amini’s funeral in her hometown of Saqez, with videos on social media showing protesters chanting against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and women removing headscarves. read more Her death could increase tension between the establishment and a Kurdish minority numbering 8 to 10 million. Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have quelled unrest in the country’s Kurdish regions for decades, and many Kurdish activists have been sentenced to long prison terms or death sentences. Videos shared on Twitter on Sunday show protesters demonstrating in Sanadai, the capital of Kurdistan province. A video posted by Hengaw shows security forces in riot gear running down a street there, at least one of them firing what appeared to be a gun. Massoud Barzani, former president of Iraq’s Kurdish region, sent his condolences to Amini’s family on Sunday, his Facebook page said. The Iranian protest Twitter account posted footage it said showed a protest at a Tehran university against the Basij, a paramilitary militia force. “I will kill the one who killed my sister… With a cannon, a tank or a firecracker, the clergy perish,” shouted the demonstrators. Reuters could not independently verify the videos. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report from Dubai Newsroom. Written by Tom Perry, Edited by Toby Chopra and Ed Osmond Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
