Protests Break Out In Iran After 22-Year-Old Mahsa Amini Dies Following Morality Police Arrest
Protests have erupted in Iran after the death of a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the morality police. Mahsa Amini was arrested for allegedly not wearing a hijab, and she later died in custody. Her death has sparked outrage among the Iranian people, who are calling for an end to the morality police and increased respect for women's rights.
The 22-year-old was reportedly taken to the hospital after suffering a heart attack, according to police.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has demanded that the reason for the accident be investigated "urgently and with special attention".
Authorities started probes into the death of Mahsa Amini after President Ebrahim Raisi requested it, state media reported. The 22-year-old was apparently taken ill while detained with other women at a morality police station, and police said
The Center for Human Rights in Iran reported that Ms Amini was arrested on Tuesday for "alleged inappropriate hijab" while she was visiting her family in the capital.
"Her family was told that she was being taken for 're-education' and would be released later that night,"
the organisation said.
On Friday, it was stated by police that there was no violence from or physical contact with officers towards Ms Amini while she was in custody.
Social media posts following her death showed protesters chanting "death to the dictator (Khamenei)" as drivers sounded their car horns in a Tehran square close to the hospital she died in.
The Iranian government has not yet commented on the death of Mahsa Amini, but it is sure to be a controversial topic in the coming days. The protests are a reminder of the simmering tension between the Iranian people and their government, and it remains to be seen how this latest incident will play out.
Iranian rights activists have been urging women to publicly remove their veils over the past few months. This act of defiance can lead to women being arrested for violating the Islamic dress code.
Iranian womens are protesting not just against compulsory hijab but the whole existence of the Islamic Republic!