TEHRAN: After weeks of protests in Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody of the Morality Police, the country’s forensic department, in its medical report on Friday, said that her death was “not caused by blows”, but was due to multiple organ failure caused by lack of oxygen to the brain.
This is contrary to Amini’s father’s statement where he accused the Morality Police of hitting his daughter after she was taken in custody. Iran’s coroner said that the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody was not because she was hit, but instead due to an illness, reported Al Jazeera quoting Iran’s news agency IRNA.
Since her death, on September 16 there have been widespread protests in Iran against curbs on women’s freedom. “Mahsa Amini’s death was not caused by blows to the head and vital organs and limbs of the body,” the official report said.
It instead attributed Amini’s death to multiple organ failure caused by cerebral hypoxia, or lack of oxygen to the brain. “Due to the ineffective cardio-respiratory resuscitation in the first critical minutes, she suffered severe hypoxia and as a result brain damage despite recovery from cardiac functioning,” it said.
Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13 for dressing “inappropriately.” Three days later, she died while in custody. It sparked demonstrations and clashes with security forces where many people lost their lives.
More than 100 people have been killed in nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, according to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO. Iranian schoolgirls and women have come out in huge numbers to demonstrate by removing their hijabs and staging rallies in protest over Amini’s death. (ANI)