Tehran: Iranian police said that the death of Mahsa Amini was an unfortunate incident the department does not want to see repeated. The 22-year-old's death has sparked outrage and protests across the country. It has drawn attention to the treatment of women by Iran's security forces.
Amini fell into a coma and died after being arrested by the morality police last week. The security forces were enforcing strict hijab rules. After her death, #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags on Twitter and many called for control over the way police deal with women suspected of violating the dress code.
She was detained for not wearing her hijab properly, a punishable offence in Iran. At her funeral, women protestors were seen shouting anti-government slogans while carrying headscarves in their hands.
Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi said that cowardly accusations have been levelled against the Iranian police. "We will wait until the day of judgement but we cannot stop doing security work," reported AFP.
Many publications printed Mahsa's death on the front pages. Videos of hundreds of protestors shouting "Woman, Life, Freedom" surfaced online. The ultra-conservative newspaper Javan stated, "the nation has expressed its sorrow over Mahsa's sad death." Financial newspaper Asia wrote: "Dear Mahsa, your name will become a symbol." Reformist publication Etemad wrote that people are shocked and outraged by what happened to her and Iran has suffered multiple instances of violence by the morality police.
The government daily Iran newspaper accused reformists of exploiting public sentiments by using an unfortunate incident to incite the nation against the government and the president. Some conservative publications slammed the criticism. Kayhan claimed that rumours and lies are being spread in the wake of Mahsa's death.