Highlights
- Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman died in Tehran.
- She was arrested by the 'Morality Police' in the country.
- Amini was on a visit to Tehran with her family when she was detained.
Iranian woman dies: Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman died, soon after she was arrested by the 'Morality Police' in the country, for not following mandatory dress codes. She fell into a coma following her detention, which later sparked a controversy on social media. As per the dress codes, women across Iran, whether Muslim or not, are supposed to wear the compulsory headscarf, to cover their necks and heads.
As per Al Jazeera, Amini was on a visit to Tehran with her family when she was detained by the specialist police unit. She suffered a heart attack and was immediately taken to hospital with the cooperation of the emergency services.
"Unfortunately, she died and her body was transferred to the medical examiner's office," state television said on Friday, reported Al Jazeera. The announcement came a day after Tehran police confirmed Amini had been detained with other women for "instruction" about the rules.
Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi has ordered a probe in the case. He has asked Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi to “investigate the cause of the incident with urgency and special attention.”
Her brother waited outside the police station for her to be released however an ambulance pulled up and took his sister to the hospital. "The woman was sent to a Greater Tehran police precinct for guidance and education when suddenly, in the presence of other people, she had a heart attack," the police said, reported CNN quoting state media. Amini's family said that she was normal with no pre-existing heart conditions.
"The so-called 'morality police' in Tehran arbitrarily arrested her three days before her death while enforcing the country's abusive, degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws. All agents and officials responsible must face justice," reports said.
The morality Police are formally known as the Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol). Over the decades, women have increasingly pushed back, particularly in the big cities, wearing their headscarves far back on their heads to reveal their hair.
