CNN
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Iran’s semi-official Etimad Online, citing her uncle, reported that a 22-year-old Iranian woman died after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police earlier this week.
On Friday, the official Iranian news agency (ISNA) reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had ordered an investigation into the circumstances of her death.
On Tuesday evening, Mahsa Amini and her family, who had traveled from Iran’s Kurdistan region to visit relatives in the capital, Tehran, were stopped by a patrol of morality police, a dedicated unit that enforces strict dress codes for women, such as wearing women’s clothing. Compulsory hijab.
According to IranWire, human rights activists who spoke to the family said that police arrested Amini and forced her into a police car.
Her brother, Kiarach, tried to intervene and was told that his sister would be taken to the police station for one hour for her “re-education,” IranWire reported.
Kiarach said he never saw his sister awake again.
While he was waiting outside the police station for her release, an ambulance stopped and secretly took his sister to the hospital.
In an interview with IranWire, Kiarch said he was told that she had had a heart attack or stroke while at the police station and was in a coma.
Tehran police said on Thursday that Amini had suffered a “heart attack” following her arrest on Tuesday.
“The woman was sent to the Greater Tehran Police Station for guidance and education when she suddenly had a heart attack in the presence of other people,” the police said.
Amini’s family has questioned the version of events provided by the police, saying that she is 22 years old, in good health, and does not suffer from heart disease.
“There was only two hours between her arrest and her transfer to the hospital,” Kiarch told IranWire.
State media said a video released by Iranian state television showed Amini entering an “educational” center where she was receiving “instructions” on proper Islamic dress.
The edited video shows CCTV footage of a woman sitting on a bench, then standing up to talk to an “expert” touching her clothes, before collapsing to the floor.
The following clip shows five men carrying her on a stretcher, apparently unconscious. Then an ambulance is displayed in another frame.
There is a 19-second video edit, after which the woman is seen standing and talking. Before cutting, it looks like daylight is outside. After cutting, it looks bleak.
“Miss. Amini looks fine and has fallen to the ground,” says a state media reporter.
It is not yet known what happened to Amini after her arrest and before her appearance at the rehabilitation center. CNN is unable to verify that the woman in the video is Amine.
Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said in a tweet Friday that the White House is deeply concerned about Amini’s death.
Amini, “He was beaten in custody by Iran’s morality police. Her death is unforgivable. We will continue to hold Iranian officials responsible for such human rights violations.”
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