Five people were killed in violent protests in Iran after a young woman was allegedly abusing strict hijab rules.
Mahsa Abi fell into a coma, and he died shortly after being detained in Tehran.
According to police, the 22-year old suffered a heart attack. He was taken to the hospital and waited with other patients by the morality officers. These are women who ensure that Islamic republic women wear loose-fitting clothing and cover their hair in public.
According to her father, Ms. Amini had no medical problems and suffered from bruising to her legs in custody. He claimed that he held the police responsible for her murder.
International anger has been sparked by the death of the 22 year-old, with the hashtag MahsaAmini becoming a trending topic on Twitter and reaching nearly two million mentions.
On Monday, security forces opened fire on protestors in Saqez (Iran’s Kurdish Region) on Monday, claiming two lives.
According to Hengaw, two more people died in Divandarreh in “direct fire”. There were 15 injuries and a fifth victim in Dehgolan. Both occurred in the Kurdish area.
The Iranian state television however rejected the “claims that social media has caused deaths”.
These claims are not officially confirmed or independently verified.
France is now joining the US in demanding Ms Amini’s accountability.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Ms. Amini’s arrest and violence, and demanded a transparent investigation to determine the cause of her death.
A spokesperson for the White House stated that Mahsa Amini died from injuries suffered while being held in police custody because she wore an “improper” hijab. This is an unacceptable and gross violation of human rights.
Amnesty Iran, a human rights organization, tweeted that Ms Amini’s suspicious death was due to “circumstances” including “allegations to torture and other ill treatment”.
Tehran Police Commander, Hossein Rahimi, claimed Ms. Amini had not suffered any physical injuries and that police had done everything to keep her alive. She described her death as an “unfortunate event”.