Iranian Woman Dies After Arrest by 'Morality Police,' Sparking Protests

What’s the story? 

• Iranians continue to take to the streets to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country's "morality police" for violating Tehran's strict dress code.
• Amini was arrested last Tuesday for not properly covering her hair with a head scarf, or hijab, that is mandatory for Iranian women. While in the custody, she fell into a coma and died three days later. Activists say she was beaten by police; state media claim she suffered a heart attack.

• Thousands of protesters have since poured into the streets of Iran demanding justice and accountability for Amini, and an end to the mandated hijab. Tehran has responded with a "lethal" crackdown against demonstrators.
• Five people were killed by law enforcement during protest marches, according to various human rights organizations. The Norway-based Hengaw said 38 people were injured as security forces open-fired live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas at men, women, and children during Kurdistans’ fourth day of protest.
• The UN expressed alarm at the response from Iranian authorities, calling for an investigation, and urging the country's leaders to allow the peaceful protests. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, condemned "the reported unnecessary or disproportionate use of force" against the thousands who have taken to the streets in protest since Amini's death. 
• Major cities across the globe have held solidarity rallies.

Mahsa Amini’s death 

• Amini was arrested after being accused of breaking the law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab and their arms and legs with loose, long clothing. After collapsing at the detention center, which was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, she fell into a coma for three days and died in a hospital on Friday. 
• Amjad Amini, her father, told an Iranian news source that witnesses saw her being shoved into a police car and that he was not allowed to see the camera recordings of her arrest, detainment, transfer to the hospital, or her body. He reported that he managed to get a glimpse of bruising on her foot.
• Amini was buried on Saturday morning, in her home city of Saqez. Protests erupted after her funeral.
• The UN's Al-Nashif said there were reports that mortality police officers beat Amini on the head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles. The police denied that she was mistreated and said she had “sudden heart failure” after being taken to the station to be “convinced and educated." Her family said she was healthy before detainment and denied any heart conditions.
• Al-Nashif said in a statement: 

“Mahsa Amini’s tragic death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority, that ensures, in particular, that her family has access to justice and truth.”

• Al-Nashif noted that the UN has received “numerous, and verified, videos of violent treatment of women” in the hands of mortality police as their street patrol has expanded in recent months to crack down on women's dress code. Similar videos have been posted on social media.
• An aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visited the Amini family on Monday, state media reported, and told them that “all institutions will take action to defend the rights that were violated.”
• President Ebrahim Raisi - who departed for New York Monday to address the UN General Assembly - has allegedly ordered an investigation into Amini's death.

Iranian hijab laws

• Iran created a mandatory dress code requiring all women to wear a headscarf and loose-fitting clothing in public following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The revolution caused the end of the monarchy and led to the establishment of the Islamic republic. 
• The morality police - formally known as Gasht-e Ershad, or Guidance Patrols - ensure that women conform to the authorities’ interpretation of “proper” clothing. Officers stop and assess women for how much hair is showing, how close-fitting or short their clothing is, and their use of make-up. If an officer believes a woman is violating the rule, the punishment can include a fine, prison, or flogging. 
• Iranians have protested hijab laws and the morality police on a number of occasions in recent years, giving rise to movements including  My Stealthy Freedom, White Wednesdays, and Girls of Revolution Street.

Share, donate, and speak up to support women's rights in Iran. 

-Jamie Epstein & Josh Herman

(Photo credit: Twitter/#Mahsa_Amini)