EU calls death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini “unacceptable” after she was arrested for improperly wearing veil

The European Union has described as “unacceptable” the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after being arrested by the Morality Police in Tehran for not wearing the hijab or Islamic veil properly.

“What happened to her is unacceptable and the perpetrators of this murder must be held accountable,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement, in the face of a death that has sparked protests across the country.

He has therefore pointed out that “it is imperative” that the Iranian authorities “respect the fundamental rights of their citizens,” while stressing that it must also be monitored that “those under any form of detention are not subjected to any form of ill-treatment.”

Amini was detained in Tehran when she was with her brother for “improper” wearing of the hijab. The intervention is attributed to officers of the Guidance Patrol or Morality Police, charged with enforcing dress codes, which usually results in the arrest of women, although some men have also been arrested.

The young woman was taken to a hospital already in a coma on the very day of her arrest after “suffering a heart attack,” according to the police version, and finally died on Friday due to the severity of her injuries.

Protesters and security forces have staged this Monday a new day of riots, the third in a row, both in the capital, Tehran, and in the city of Divandarré, in Iranian Kurdistan, where at least eight people have been injured.