Mahsa Amini was at a train station in Tehran with her brother when she got detained by the police. She died three days after the arrest for not complying with “morality” laws, which consist of extreme hijab dress code regulations.
The morality police are tasked with enforcing Iran’s strict Islamic dress codes. They regularly stop, examine, and apprehend women for violations, often with force and violence. Although Amini was properly dressed according to the law, something must have triggered the police, such as a little bit of hair showing.
Amini was hospitalized a couple hours after she was arrested, and was in a coma.
Upon her death, the Iranian government claimed she had underlying health conditions and died of a sudden heart attack that caused her to collapse. As stated by her family, she never had any underlying health conditions, at least none they were aware of, and there was not a record of her “fragile” state of health authorities stood firm behind and persistently pressed.
The police released a video of her collapse, and she can be seen falling over a chair before hitting the floor. The video cannot be authenticated, and critics claim her body was covered in blood and bruises. Signs of assault.
The president of Iran said “this matter (the death of Amini) will surely be pursued.”
Protests have erupted in Iran and throughout the world, led by women, in the fight for women’s rights since the death of Mahsa Amini. In Iran, protesters continue to clash with the police and many have been killed in the matter.
Ibrahim Raisi, the Iran President stated apropos of the violence, “disturbing the country’s security, creating chaos, threatening people’s lives and property, cannot be accepted in any way, anywhere in the world. The people who participated in the riots must be dealt with severely. If someone has an opposing opinion on a topic, there is no problem in expressing it.”
The police opposed how Amini was dressed, and it resulted in her death.
Henceforth the protests, women have been taking off their head covering, waving them in the air, and burning them. Some have uploaded videos online of themselves shaving off their hair in solidarity with the cause.
The uprising in Iran has escalated past the death of Amini. Men have joined the fight to support their sisters, mothers, and wives, but the broader goal is to dethrone the current dictatorship regime.
Oppression in Iran has caused many protests throughout the years. The government shut down internet access, thus the people of Iran are afraid this will lead to more deaths, as communication with the rest of the world is limited. The last time the internet was restricted three years ago, hundreds of people died.