Clashes erupt in protests over death of Mahsa Amini in police custody

Tehran, Sep 19 (EFE).- Demonstrators clashed with security forces on Monday in several cities of Iran amid protests that have continued for the fourth consecutive day following the death of Mahsa Amini.

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

There were protests in many of Tehran’s universities and also in Kurdish areas of the country.

Local media reported that security forces deployed pepper spray against the protesters and dozens were arrested. Gunshots can be heard in some video footage that was shared by Iranian journalists on social media and that have not yet been verified.

Amini was arrested on Tuesday by the regime’s morality police while visiting Tehran. She was then taken to a police station to attend a one-hour “briefing class,” hours later she was admitted to Kasra Hospital in a coma after falling into cardiac arrest.

Iranian police later stated that she 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 but Amini’s family has not confirmed her identity in the footage. 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

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