WESTWOOD—On Thursday, September 22, students at UCLA held a candlelit vigil for Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in Tehran, Iran after allegedly violating the country’s modesty laws on September 13 by wearing her hijab too loosely. She died on Friday, September 16 after falling into a comatose state.
Officials claim that she died of a heart attack and that she suffered from chronic medical conditions. Her father told Emtedad News that, “Authorities have said my daughter suffered from chronic medical conditions. I personally deny such claims as my daughter was fit and had no health problems.” Both Amini’s family and protestors believe that she was beaten by the police.
Medical scans of Amini’s brain were obtained by Iran International and released to the public revealing a brain edema and hemorrhaging. Her family members reported that they did see bruises on her body prior to her death. The government released video purporting to show the moment she collapsed.
The hashtag #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags on Persian-language Twitter and many protests erupted across the world after Amini’s death.
The U.S. government on September 22 imposed sanctions on Iran’s police and leaders of other government agencies. The sanctions come after the death of at least nine protesters that have been killed in clashes with Iranian security forces.
Canyon News reached out to the Iranian Student Group at UCLA and Iran International for comment, but did not hear back before print.
