Woman dies af­ter ar­rest by Iran moral­i­ty po­lice

A young woman has died after falling into a coma following her detention by Iran morality police, state media have reported, sparking fury on social media.

Mahsa Amini, 22, was on a visit to Tehran with her family. When she detained by the specialist police unit that enforces the strict dress code obligatory for women since shortly after the Islamic revolution of 1979.

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“Unfortunately, she died and her body transferred to the medical examiner’s office”. State television reported on Friday. The announcement came a day after Tehran police confirmed Amini had detained with other women for “instruction” about the rules.

“She suddenly suffered a heart problem while in the company of others receiving guidance [and] immediately taken to hospital with the cooperation of the emergency services,” it said.

President Ebrahim Raisi ordered the interior minister to open an inquiry into the case.

Several lawmakers said they would raise the case in parliament, while the judiciary said it would form a special task force to investigate.

Reacting to the incident, human rights organization Amnesty International said, “The circumstances leading to the suspicious death in custody of 22-year-old young woman Mahsa Amini. Which include allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in custody, must be criminally investigated.”

“The so-called ‘morality police’ in Tehran arbitrarily arrested her three days before her death while enforcing the country’s abusive, degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws. All agents and officials responsible must face justice,” it added.

Amini’s death comes amid growing controversy both inside and outside Iran over the conduct of the morality police, known formally as the Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol).

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In July, a video of a woman standing in front of one of the forces’ vans pleading for her daughter’s release went viral on social media. The veiled woman kept holding on to the van as it pulled off, only being thrown clear after it gathered speed.

The mandatory dress code, which applies to all nationalities and religions, not just Iranian Muslims, requires women to conceal their hair and neck with a headscarf.

Over the decades, women have increasingly pushed back, particularly in the big cities, wearing their headscarves far back on their heads to reveal their hair.