Iran: Mahsa Amini's death due to illness and not beatings, according to a medical report

Arrested on September 13 by the morality police in Tehran for not respecting the strict dress code for women in Iran, this 22-year-old Iranian Kurd died three days later in hospital.

Activists claimed she suffered a head injury while in detention. The Iranian authorities have denied any physical contact between the police and the young woman and said they are awaiting the results of the investigation.

His death sparked protests in the country, with Iranian women in the front line, as well as solidarity rallies around the world.

The protests, the largest in Iran since those of 2019 against the rise in the price of gasoline, were repressed in blood. At least 92 people have been killed since September 16, according to a latest report from the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights, while an official report puts around 60 dead, including 12 members of the security forces.

"Mahsa Amini's death was not caused by beatings to the head and vital organs" but was linked to "surgery for a brain tumor at the age of 8", a report said. the Iranian Forensic Organization, while her father Amjad Amini had indicated that his daughter was "in perfect health".

“On September 13, (Mahsa Amini) suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed... She suffered from a heart rhythm disturbance and a drop in blood pressure,” added the report published by the state television.

“Despite her transfer to hospital and the efforts of medical personnel, she died on September 16 from multiple organ failure caused by cerebral hypoxia,” according to the same source.

- Red fountains -

The protest in Iran is also taking new forms with fountains colored red by artists in reference to the repression of demonstrations in blood.

This crackdown has been denounced by the international community and some countries have imposed sanctions.

On Thursday, the United States announced economic sanctions against seven senior Iranian officials for their role in the crackdown. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, "the regime's key instrument in repression", and Communications Minister Issa Zarepour, "responsible for the shameful attempt to block the internet" are among them.

Washington announced on September 22 sanctions targeting morality police and security officials.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the strict dress code obliges women to wear the Islamic veil in particular. They are at the forefront of the protests, according to videos posted online.

In recent days, schoolgirls have even organized rallies during which they have removed their veils or shouted anti-government slogans.

In a video verified by AFP, young girls, their heads unveiled, chant "Death to the dictator", in reference to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Monday in a school in Karaj west of Tehran.

- Death of teenage girls -

Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri admitted that young people were involved in the protests, denouncing the influence of social networks.

On Thursday, the Iranian justice denied that a 16-year-old girl, Sarina Ismaïlzadeh, had been killed in the province of Alborz (north-west) by the security forces during the protests, affirming that she had "committed suicide jumping from a building".

On September 30, Amnesty International claimed that the girl had "died after being severely beaten in the head with truncheons" on September 23.

Already on Wednesday, Iranian justice refuted any link between the death of another 16-year-old girl, Nika Shakarami, and the protests in Iran. In a video released by overseas-based Persian media, Nika Shakarami's mother accused authorities of killing her daughter.

Since the start of the protest, the regime has arrested notorious supporters of the movement and imposed severe restrictions on access to social networks.

Iran has repeatedly accused outside forces of stoking the protests, including the United States, its sworn enemy.