‘I will never wear a headscarf again’: Outrage in Iran after woman dies in custody
The death of young woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s so-called "morality police" in September has enraged people across the country, leading to three days of protests, strikes and sit-ins…
observers.france24.com
Issued on: 19/09/2022 - 18:07
Protesters clash with police in Tehran, on Keshavarz boulevard on September 19. © Observers
Text by:Alijani Ershad
4 min
The death of young woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s so-called "morality police" in September has enraged people across the country, leading to three days of protests, strikes and sit-ins in the capital Tehran and in Iran's Kurdish region. Security forces have responded with force, beating and arresting demonstrators, shooting live bullets, and limiting internet connection in the Kurdish areas of Iran.
Mahsa Amini was 22 years old. The young Iranian woman was from Saqqez, a Kurdish city in western Iran, and was arrested in Tehran on September 13 by the notorious morality police known as "Gasht-e-Ershad". Her crime: "not wearing proper clothing".
A video shared on Twitter on September 19 shows clashes between riot police and protesters in Divandareh, Iran.
In a video posted on Twitter on September 19, protesters say, “Mullahs must f**k off”.
According to Islamic Sharia-based law in the Islamic Republic of Iran, women in Iran must cover their hair and bodies in a conservative manner. The Gasht-e-Ershad, or morality police, is responsible for enforcing this law, made compulsory after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
A video posted on Twitter on September 19 shows shops closed in a general strike in Bukan, a city in the Kurdistan province of Iran.
She was taken to hospital just two hours later after losing consciousness at Vozara police station in the north of Tehran. According to an Instagram post from Kasra Hospital (which has since been deleted), Amini was brought there in a brain-dead state and in cardiac arrest. Eventually, she died on September 16 after spending three days in hospital.
The now-deleted Instagram post from Kasra Hospital that confirms Mahsa Amini was brought there on Shahrivar 22 [Iranian calendar, September 13] in a state of “brain death”. © Observers
The Islamic Republic announced that the cause of her death was “natural” and caused by a heart attack. However, the poor reputation and well known brutality of Iranian police – as well as published evidence – led many Iranians to believe that Amini had been beaten and killed by the morality police.
A video posted on Twitter on September 19 shows people protesting and saying “Death to the dictator” and “Mullahs out”.
A number of Iranian doctors diagnosed Amini's condition as a "severe concussion" based on a photo of her in hospital shared on social media.
They said that bleeding from her ear and blacked eyes were signs that she had suffered brain damage, as opposed to a heart attack or cerebral stroke as the Iranian regime claimed.
In addition, a London-based Persian-language media published some of Amini’s medical scans taken at Kasra Hospital, provided by a hacker group that had hacked into the hospital database. The scans showed a skull fracture and a confirmed concussion.
A video posted on Twitter on September 19 shows students at Tehran University shouting, “I’ll kill anyone who killed my sister”.
Agrin (not her real name) is a young Iranian girl living in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Province in Iran. She has been participating in the protests in her city:
A video shared on Twitter on September 19 shows a protest in Sanandaj, Iran.
In the wake of growing anti-hijab sentiment in Iran, some Iranian clothing brands have announced that they will stop manufacturing and selling hijabi clothing.
A video posted on Twitter on September 17 shows a man injured by a gunshot after officers opened fire on a protest in Saqqez, Iran.
‘It is not our culture, our clothes’
Agrin continued:Women removed their headscarves to protest at the funeral of Mahsa Amini who died after being arrested by the morality protest.
A video shared on Twitter on September 17 shows women removing their scarves in Saqqez, Iran.
Ahmad Mirzaei, the commander of the Tehran morality police was removed on September 19, according to Iranian media. The dismissal was a rare gesture in the Islamic Republic that followed three days of protests. However, our Observer in Sanandaj says the move was “far from enough”.
A video posted on Twitter on September 19 shows a general strike in Saqqez.
The death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police in Iran has also provoked international reactions. Many Iranian and non-Iranian celebrities shared her story and called for the Islamic Republic to be held accountable for her death. Those who spoke out included actors Sharon Stone, Nathaniel Buzolic, Nazanin Boniadi, the writers J.K. Rowlings, Elif Shafak, and former Iranian football superstar Ali Karimi among many others.
Many Iranian activists also shared videos of themselves cutting their hair on social media as a protest against the alleged assassination of Mahsa Amini.
Many Iranian women have been cutting their hair in protest.
A video posted on Twitter on September 19 shows protesters saying “Death to Basijis”.
