Iranian women protest against death of Mahsa Amini, chop off their hair and burns hijabs

Image Credit: ANI; Representational Image

New Delhi: Protests erupted in Iran on Sunday over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, after her detention by the country's morality police, with women protesters cutting their hair and burning hijabs to protest the mandatory veiling of women, according to media reports. Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist, shared a video of women cutting their hair on her social media account and wrote, "Iranian women show their anger by cutting their hair and burning their hijab to protest against the killing of #Mahsa_Amini by hijab police.”

"From the age of 7 if we don`t cover our hair we won`t be able to go to school or get a job. We are fed up with this gender apartheid regime," she added. In another tweet, an Iranian journalist shared images from Tehran University, claiming that students had joined the protest against Mahsa Amini's death at the hands of "hijab police." She also stated that Iranians were enraged.

"Yesterday the security forces opened fire at protesters in Saghez city but now Tehran joined the protest," Alinejad quotes in a tweet. In a series of tweets, Alinejad shared another video and stated that on the second day, the "brave women" stormed the streets and chanted. "Don`t be afraid, we are all united." 

She also stated that security forces opened fire on protesters, injuring some of them, but this does not deter people from speaking out against the wrongdoing. According to Al Jazeera, Mahsa Amini, 22, was on a family visit to Tehran when she was detained by the specialist police unit.

After a while, she had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital with the help of emergency personnel. "Unfortunately, she died and her body was transferred to the medical examiner`s office," state television said on Friday, reported Al Jazeera. 

The announcement came a day after Tehran police confirmed Amini had been detained alongside other women for "rules instruction." According to human rights activists who spoke with the family, the police grabbed Amini and forced her into a police vehicle, according to CNN, citing IranWire.

Kiarash, her brother, intervened, but the police informed him that they were taking his sister to the police station for one hour of "re-education." Her brother waited outside the police station for her release, but an ambulance arrived and transported his sister to the hospital. "The woman was sent to a Greater Tehran police precinct for guidance and education when suddenly, in the presence of other people, she had a heart attack," the police said, reported CNN quoting state media.

Mahsa's family disputed the police version of events, claiming that she was healthy and had no pre-existing heart conditions. Amnesty International, the Human rights organisation 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."

"The so-called `morality police` in Tehran arbitrarily arrested her three days before her death while enforcing the country`s abusive, degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws. All agents and officials responsible must face justice," it further added.

Following the incident, which sparked outrage on social media, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi directed the interior minister to launch an investigation. Several lawmakers have said they will bring the case to parliament, and the judiciary has said it will form a special task force to investigate, according to Al Jazeera.

Amini's death comes amid mounting criticism both inside and outside Iran of the morality police, known formally as the Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol). According to Al Jazeera, the mandatory dress code, which applies to all nationalities and religions, not just Iranian Muslims, requires women to cover their hair and neck with a headscarf. Women have increasingly resisted, particularly in major cities, by wearing their headscarves far back on their heads to reveal their hair.