Hundreds took to the streets in Iran after a 22-year-old woman died following her arrest in what many believe was a result of the country's strict hijab laws.
Video footage showed hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the funeral of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman, who was allegedly beaten to death while in prison. The victim was believed to have been taken into custody for failing to cover her hair properly with her hijab.
Death of an Iranian Woman
The situation has sparked more outcry regarding Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and calls for denial of his entry to the United States as he prepares to speak at the United Nations General Assembly later this week.
The country's military police arrested the victim on Sept. 14 near a train station while she was visiting the capital with her family. Law enforcement did not offer any explanation regarding the arrest but witnesses said that the police accused Amini of not wearing her hijab properly.
Law enforcement later rushed the victim to a hospital shortly after he fell into a coma during her detention, claiming that he had collapsed while in custody. However, Amini's family argued that they saw evidence of beatings. The victim died three days later and the police deny that Amini was killed, as per Fox News.
On Monday, protesters threw rocks at security forces in the town of Divandarreh in the Kurdish region. The Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini reached nearly 2 million mentions on Twitter amid the backlash related to the Iranian woman's death.
Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi also pushed back against "cowardly accusations" of law enforcement. He insisted that Amini suffered no physical harm and said that police had "done everything" to keep her alive.
According to the New York Post, Rahimi said that the death was an unfortunate incident. Saying that they never wished to witness such happenings. Police later released a video showing a woman identified as Amini walking into a room and sitting down with other people.
Strict Hijab Laws
The footage fast-forwards to show the 22-year-old Iranian woman talking to someone who was inspecting her clothing as she stands. Then, the woman raises her hands to her head and collapses.
The police commander said that medical personnel arrived within a minute of Amini collapsing but noted that he could not comment on the cause of death because it involved a medical issue. The victim's father said on Sunday that his daughter had no health problems.
The former president of Iraq's Kurdish region, Masoud Barzani, has sent his condolences to Amini's family. Meanwhile, the Iranian protest Twitter account uploaded a video that showed what it said was a protest at a Tehran university against the paramilitary militia force known as Basij.
Another video circulating on social media platforms showed women in Tehran taking off their hijab and waving it while chanting, "death to the dictator" on Monday. Separate footage showed a motorcycle burning on a street area near where the judiciary building is located in the capital.
A government-aligned news agency, Fars, published a video showing protesters in the capital of Kurdistan province, Sanandaj, late on Sunday, who were chanting slogans against the country's officials, CNN reported.
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