Conflicts & War

At least three dead in Iran protests over death of Amini

Tehran, Sep 20 (EFE).- At least three people have died in protests across Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, authorities said on Tuesday.

The protests started after a 22-year-old Kurdish woman died on Friday after allegedly suffering a cardiac arrest while being held in custody by police in Tehran for allegedly not wearing her hijab in accordance with the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

The death of the young women sparked a series of protests across the country in which at least three people have died, some 80 injured and hundreds more detained.

“Investigations show that these people were shot dead by enemies of the system and with weapons that none of the security personnel in the province use,” governor of the Kurdistan province, where Amini was from, said.

Esmaíl Zarei Kusha said that one of the victims was killed in the city of Divandareh with “a military weapon” while the second victim was found in Amini’s hometown of Saghez. No details of the third death were given.

The governor of Tehran, Mohsen Mansouri, joined Kusha in blaming “foreign enemies” for sparking the protests.

“Traces of intervention of foreign embassies and foreign (intelligence) services are clearly visible,” Mansouri said.

Amini was arrested on Tuesday last week by the regime’s morality police while visiting Tehran. She was taken to a police station to attend a one-hour “briefing class” but just hours later, was admitted to hospital for suffering a cardiac arrest and falling into a coma.

Iranian police said the woman had “suffered a sudden heart failure” and published a video where a woman is seen falling to the ground while speaking to an officer in the police station. Amini’s family has not confirmed her identity in the footage and her parents have denied official reports that she suffered from any diseases.

Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into the case and judicial authorities have assured that they will discover the cause of death.

In the last few months, Raisi’s ultra-conservative government has increased the pressure for women to comply with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strict dress code.

Head scarves have been mandatory since the 1979 Islamic revolution led by former supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini.EFE

ar-jlr/mp

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