The death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from western Iran, during a visit to the capital this month has sparked outrage over the government’s increasingly strict enforcement of ultra-conservative dress codes for women. Amini was arrested as she was leaving a subway station and suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma while in custody, state media reported. Her family insisted she had no previous health problems and activists claimed she may have been beaten by police. Monday marked the third day of unrest across Iran, with demonstrations in many places, including the capital, Tehran. Two people were killed as security forces fired on protesters in the Kurdish town of Saqez – Amini’s hometown – while two others died in the town of Divandarreh and a fifth was killed in Dehgolan, according to Hengaw, a rights watchdog. The claims could not be immediately independently verified by the Washington Post. In Tehran, photos from the scene of a demonstration showed protesters crowding around a burning motorcycle. Videos posted on social media appeared to show protesters injured after clashes with authorities. Internet access was limited in parts of the country. Iran doubles restrictions on abortion and contraception Iran has not confirmed any deaths during the protests. The semi-official Fars News Agency reported that protesters were dispersed by security forces in several cities and that leaders of some of the protests were arrested by police. A senior ethics police official, Colonel Ahmed Mirzaei, was suspended after Amini’s death, according to Iran International, a London-based news channel. Officials denied those claims, the Guardian reported. The interior ministry previously ordered an investigation into Amini’s death at the behest of conservative Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The police commander of the greater Tehran region told reporters that Amini was walking in a park and wearing an inappropriate hijab. He said he did not resist arrest and even made jokes in the police van. The headscarf and other conservative dresses have been compulsory for women since the 1979 revolution in Iran. Man with gun arrested near Iranian-American author’s home in Brooklyn Raisi is in New York this week, where he will address the UN General Assembly on the country’s relations with the West. He told reporters at Tehran airport that he does not plan to meet with President Biden on the sidelines of the event, the Associated Press reported. Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal appear to be nearing an end. Raisi, a hardline cleric who took office last year, has called for strict enforcement of dress codes. Last month, a video emerged showing a woman held by Iran’s increasingly forceful guidance patrols being thrown from a speeding van. The government crackdown sparked a protest movement over the summer by Iranian women who photographed themselves without headscarves and posted the photos on social media. Kareem Fahim contributed to this report.
