Three weeks after the death of an Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini, Iran’s Forensic Organisation revealed a report stating that the woman had died due to illness and not due to blows and beatings given to her in police custody. “Mahsa Amini’s death was not caused by blows to the head and vital organs and limbs of the body. Her death was related to surgery for a brain tumour at the age of eight”, the medical report read.
#Breaking | Iran Anti-Hijab Protests: Iran’s Forensic Organization said “Mahsa Amini’s death was caused by illness rather than blows or beatings@AnchorAnandN shares details with @akankshaswarups #IranProtest2022 #MahsaAmini #Hijab pic.twitter.com/iiN9DlKVDO
— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 7, 2022
Mahsa Amini dies after being taken into custody by ‘morality police’
According to the reports, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was abducted by the ‘morality police’ in Tehran for not complying with the mandatory hijab laws of the country. Amini who was on a pleasure trip to Tehran had not covered her hair properly in the hijab. She was arrested by the police and then beaten in the police van while being taken to a detention centre, dubbed as a ‘re-education class’ for not conforming to the country’s mandatory hijab rules.
The police took the woman to the police station on Vozara Avenue where already dozens of other women were being held for not following the hijab rules. They beat the women and schooled them about the proper dress rules of the country. Mahsa was brutally beaten and taken to the hospital after she stopped responding in the custody. The doctors at the hospital stated that her heart continued to beat but her brain was no longer functioning.
The Police back then had tried to cover up the matter. The Tehran Police released a statement claiming that Mahsa was already suffering from a heart problem and that she was never beaten in the custody. “The police cooperated and provided her immediate medical facility”, the statement read. The girl however died three days after the incident.
Amini’s custodial death sparks anti-hijab protests across Iran
Her killing sparked massive protests in Iran, with women taking to the streets to up raise their voices against the regime. Several ladies including school-going girls burnt their hijabs in sympathy with the tragedy, while women all throughout the world trimmed their hair in the protest. Protests erupted in dozens of places around the country in the aftermath of her death after which the government retaliated with a harsh crackdown.
Meanwhile, in reaction to the death of the Iranian woman, the US placed further penalties on Iranian government officials on Thursday, as protests engulfed dozens of Iranian cities for weeks and developed into the broadest threat to Iran’s authority in years. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control identified seven high-ranking leaders for punitive measures as a result of Iran’s internet shutdown, suppression of free expression, and violence against protesters and civilians.
Sanctions have been imposed on Iran’s interior and communications ministers, as well as many law enforcement officials. In recent months, Iran’s state-sponsored ethical patrols have increased their appearance in major cities, intimidating and pulling women from the streets due to their attire choices.
Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the hijab became mandatory in public for Iranian women and girls above the age of nine in Iran. Many Iranian women have broken the prohibition and pushed the limits of what officials consider acceptable apparel throughout the years.
