Why a young woman's death is sparking outrage in Iran against morality police

A young woman, who fell into a coma after being arrested by Iran's morality police, has died, reports said Friday.

22-year-old Mahsa Amini was on a visit to Tehran three days earlier with her family when she was detained by the specialist police unit that enforces the strict Islamic dress code.

"Unfortunately, she died and her body was transferred to the medical examiner's office," AFP quoted state television as reporting.


A day earlier, police in Tehran said Amini, who was detained along with other women for "instruction" about the rules, suffered a heart attack.

"She suddenly suffered a heart problem while in the company of others receiving guidance (and) was immediately taken to hospital with the cooperation of the emergency services," the police statement said.

Her family has questioned this version, saying the young woman had no pre-existing health condition. Several prominent sports and arts figures posted critical social media comments about Amini's death

Human rights organisation 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."

After fury on social media, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered the interior minister to open an inquiry. Several lawmakers said they would raise the case in parliament, reported Al Jazeera, while the judiciary said it would form a special task force to investigate.

The morality police - Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol) - has been increasingly coming under cotroversy in recent times because of their conduct. They engorce the dress code that became obligatory for women since shortly after the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Videos posted on social media have shown cases of what appeared to be heavy-handed action by morality police units against women who had removed their hijab, Reuters reported.

In the past few months, Iranian rights activists have urged women to publicly remove their veils, a gesture that would risk their arrest as the country's hardline rulers crack down harder on "immoral behaviour".