Fury grows in Iran over woman who died after hijab arrest

Published September 18, 2022
A man views a newspaper with a cover picture of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic’s “morality police” in Tehran, Iran , September 18, 2022.— Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
A man views a newspaper with a cover picture of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic’s “morality police” in Tehran, Iran , September 18, 2022.— Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters

Protests persisted on Sunday and #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags ever on Persian-language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of a young woman in the custody of morality police enforcing strict hijab rules.

Amini, 22, died on Friday after falling into a coma following her arrest in Tehran earlier in the week, putting a spotlight on women's rights in Iran.

An undated picture obtained from social media shows Mahsa Amini.—IranWire/via Reuters
An undated picture obtained from social media shows Mahsa Amini.—IranWire/via Reuters

Police rejected social media suspicions that she was beaten, saying she fell ill as she waited with other detained women.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Sunday around the University of Tehran on Sunday, shouting "Woman, Life, Freedom", according to online videos.

Reuters could not verify the footage.

In Iran, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Offenders face public rebuke, fines or arrest. But in recent months activists have urged women to remove veils despite the hardline rulers' crackdown on "immoral behaviour".

Surging hashtag

The Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini has now reached 1.63 million mentions on Twitter.

Amini was from Kurdistan, where there were also protests on Saturday, including at the funeral in her hometown Saqez. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have long put down unrest among the minority Kurds.

Police repressed the Saqez demonstrations, with videos posted online showing at least one man with a head injury. Reuters could not authenticate the videos.

Behzad Rahimi, a member of parliament for Saqez, told the semi-official ILNA news agency that a few people were wounded at the funeral. "One of them was hospitalised in the Saqez Hospital after being hit in the intestines by ballbearings," he said.

Kurdish rights group Hengaw said, however, that 33 people were injured in Saqez. Reuters could not independently confirm the number.

Opinion

Editorial

From gains to gaps
27 Apr, 2025

From gains to gaps

AS we mark World Immunisation Week 2025 — themed ‘Immunisation for All is Humanly Possible’ — we are faced...
Crisis talks
27 Apr, 2025

Crisis talks

ASININE statements about Pakistan and India’s ‘1,500-year’ dispute over Kashmir are unlikely to help this...
BYC women in jail
27 Apr, 2025

BYC women in jail

THE detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch and other BYC activists, including women, are reported...
Time for restraint
Updated 26 Apr, 2025

Time for restraint

Neither Pakistan nor India can afford another war. It is time again to give diplomacy a chance.
A wise decision
Updated 26 Apr, 2025

A wise decision

GOOD sense seems to have finally prevailed, with the federal government deferring the planned canal projects,...
‘Fake’ Pakistanis
26 Apr, 2025

‘Fake’ Pakistanis

THE revelation is shocking. Hundreds of individuals holding Pakistani passports who were detained by the Saudi...