Police fire tear gas to disperse Iranian demo over woman’s death: media
The Islamic headscarf has been compulsory for women in Iran since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution
Tehran – Security forces on Saturday fired tear gas to disperse protesters in northwest Iran after the death of a woman arrested in Tehran by the Islamic republic’s “morality police”, local media reported.
Mahsa Amini, 22, was on a visit with her family to the Iranian capital when she was detained on Tuesday by the police unit responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code for women, including the wearing of the headscarf in public.
She was declared dead on Friday by state television after having spent three days in a coma.
Her body was laid to rest in her hometown of Saghez, 460 kilometres (285 miles) from Tehran in northwestern Kurdistan province, on Saturday morning, according to Fars news agency.
“Following the funeral ceremony, some people left the scene while others remained, chanting slogans demanding detailed investigations into the dimensions of the story,” the agency said.
“The protesters then gathered in front of the governor’s office and chanted more slogans but were dispersed when security forces fired tear gas,” it added.
State television broadcast images on Friday purportedly showing her falling to the ground inside a large hall full of women while arguing with one of the female instructors about her dress.
In a statement on Friday, Tehran police insisted “there was no physical encounter” between officers and Amini.
It said Amini was among a number of women who had been taken to a police station for “instruction” on the dress code on Tuesday.
“She suddenly fainted while with other visitors in the hall,” the statement said.
Earlier, President Ebrahim Raisi ordered an inquiry into Amini’s case while the judiciary said it would form a special task force to investigate.
Head of Tehran medical examiner’s office on Saturday told state television that investigations into the cause of death would take up to three weeks to complete.
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).
In July, a video of a woman standing in front of one of the force’s vans pleading for her daughter’s release went viral on social media.
The veiled woman kept holding on to the van as it pulled away, only being thrown clear after it gathered speed.
Following the 1979 Islamic revolution, the law requires all women, regardless of nationality or religious belief, to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck while concealing the hair.
Many women, however, have pushed the boundaries over the past two decades by allowing the hijab to slide back and reveal more hair, especially in Tehran and other major cities.