Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Raisi says police custody death must be investigated

Raisi says police custody death must be investigated

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said the death of a woman in police custody must be investigated after it sparked widespread protests.
Speaking on a visit to the UN General Assembly in New York, Raisi accused the West of hypocrisy for raising concerns over Mahsa Amini's death.

She died hours after morality police arrested her for allegedly breaking headscarf rules.

At least 17 people have died in the worst unrest in Iran for years.

Ms Amini, a Kurdish woman from the north-western city of Saqez, died in hospital in Tehran on Friday following three days in a coma.

Raisi repeated a coroner's conclusion that the young woman had not been beaten. Iranian police said she had suffered "sudden heart failure".

Protesters reject the state's conclusions, pointing to reports that officers beat Ms Amini's head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles.

The hard-line president warned the protesters that the "acts of chaos" were not acceptable.

He accused Western nations of "double standards", pointing to killings by police in the United Kingdom and the US.

"Every day in different countries, including the United States, we see men and women dying in police encounters, but there is no sensitivity about the cause and dealing with this violence," he added.

His shot back at the West came hours after the US announced sanctions to be placed on Iranian morality police.

The US treasury department said the sanctions were for the abuse of Iranian women and the violation of protesters' rights.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, which has close ties to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on the judiciary to prosecute "those who spread false news and rumours" as part of apparent efforts to halt the momentum of the protests. The Guards also expressed sympathy for Ms Amini's family.

The protests have reached about 80 cities and towns. One person told BBC Persian her neighbourhood resembled a battlefield.

In an interview with BBC Persian, Ms Amini's father Amjad said he was not allowed by authorities to see all of her body after it had been wrapped for burial, when just her face and feet were visible.

"There were bruises on her feet," he said, adding that he had asked doctors to examine them but had never heard back.

Mr Amini also rejected claims from the interior minister and Tehran's director of forensic medicine that his daughter had had pre-existing health problems.

"They are lying," he said. "She has not been to any hospital at all in the past 22 years, other than for a few cold-related sicknesses."

The first protests took place after the funeral, when women were filmed waving their headscarves in the air and shouting "death to the dictator" - a chant often directed at the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Similar demonstrations were staged by students at several universities in Tehran, before the protests started spreading rapidly across the country.

"Now, we have seen so many men joining in and it has moved on from a protest against the compulsory hijab. It's now against the whole existence of the Islamic Republic," BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour told the Today program.

She added: "This is most serious challenge to the Islamic leadership of Iran that we have seen here in recent years."

The deadliest unrest has been concentrated in Iran's Kurdish-populated north-west, where Ms Amini lived.

Internet-monitoring group NetBlocks has reported that Iran is now subject to the most severe internet restrictions seen since mass anti-government erupted in November 2019. Mobile phone networks were largely shut down, internet service was disrupted during protests, and access to Instagram and WhatsApp were being restricted, it said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×