Death of woman detained in Iran for not wearing a headscarf was unfortunate, police say

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Iranian police called the death of a young woman in their custody an “unfortunate incident” and denied allegations of ill-treatment against her, Fars, the country’s semi-official news agency, reported on Monday.

Mahsa Amini, 22, went into a coma and died on Friday (16), after being detained a few days earlier by police because she was allegedly not wearing the hijab, the Islamic headscarf. The argument for detention is that she should be “convinced and polite”.

The young woman’s death was the trigger for protests in the streets of Tehran and Kurdistan – her province of origin -, which are now entering their third day. On Monday, protesters threw stones at security forces in the city of Divandarreh, in the Kurdish region, showed a video posted on social media by civil rights group Hengaw.

On Saturday (17), during Amini’s funeral, protests erupted in her hometown of Saqez. Videos on social media showed protesters chanting against Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and women removing head scarves in protest.

The hashtag #MahsaAmini, in support of the young woman, reached almost two million mentions on Twitter.

Police officers claimed that Amini suffered a heart attack after being detained — they denied that she was assaulted. Activists, however, claim that the police approach in such cases has been violent, often with the use of beatings against women.

Her father told news website Emtedad on Sunday that his daughter had no health problems, adding that she suffered leg bruises. He blamed the police for the young woman’s death.

The cops objected. Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi said “cowardly accusations” were leveled against security forces, that Amini suffered no physical harm and that security officials “did everything” to keep her alive.

“This incident was regrettable for us and we wish never to witness such incidents,” Rahimi said in a statement released by Fars.

Through a White House spokesperson, the United States said there must be accountability for the young woman’s death, which they called “terrible and scandalous”. They also said that Iran must stop the use of violence against women for exercising their fundamental freedoms, and that they must be able to dress any way they want.

In Iran, after the 1979 Revolution, which gave way to a theocratic regime, the law began to state that women are obliged to cover their hair with a veil and wear baggy clothes to cover the shape of their bodies. Those who break the rule face public reprimands, fines and even imprisonment.

The law has never ceased to be questioned, despite repression. Over the past few months, human rights activists have been influencing women to publicly remove their veils in protest against the dress code, which has angered government officials and security agents, who say the act constitutes immoral behavior.

Earlier this month, two Iranian lesbian activists were sentenced to death for “promoting homosexuality”. They were also accused of promoting the Christian religion and having contacted a media outlet that opposes the government.

On social media, Iranians have expressed their repudiation of the existence of the practice known as “moral detention”, perpetrated by so-called guidance patrols. Some videos shared show police officers detaining women, dragging them to the ground and forcibly taking them away.

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