Hijab arrest: Iran police say woman’s death was unfortunate
Tehran’s police chief has said the death of Mahsa Amini – a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody – was “unfortunate”.
The woman fell into a coma last week, hours after police held her for allegedly breaking hijab rules.
Her death has sparked massive protests in the capital and western Iran, so far two people have reportedly been killed in the clashes with police.
Witnesses said officers beat the young woman, but police deny these accusations.
In footage posted on social media, the protesters can been seen throwing stones and in protests in the capital, women were seen removing their headscarves and shouting “death to the dictator” – a chant often used in reference to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Amini died in hospital on Friday after three days in a coma. Witnesses say she was beaten while inside a police van that took her to a detention centre.
Police says she suffered “sudden heart failure” while waiting with the other women at the facility to be “educated.”
