WESTWOOD—On October 1, protesters marched from Pershing Square to City Hall in Westwood in unison with protesters around the globe to bring awareness to the death of 22-year-old Iranian, Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody. Protesters also marched in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Amini was beaten and tortured for wearing her hijab incorrectly. It is not clear if the attacked transpired while in police custody. According to Amini’s family, she was abused while in police custody and fell into a coma at an area hospital where she later died.
“It’s very hard for people outside of Iran and people who are not Iranian to understand, to even fathom, if you sing the wrong song, you can go to jail. If you’re of the wrong religion, you can go to jail. If you’re a woman and a strand of your hair shows, you could go to jail, or worse. So many people have been tortured, brutally murdered, for such small infractions that we here in the West deem as just normal, everyday life”, poster Yasmine Aker stated.
According to the Zuma Press, Amini was from Northwest Iran and was visiting Tehran when she was allegedly arrested for wearing her hijab incorrectly violating Islamic law requiring women to wear a head covering.
According to reports, Amini was timid, quiet in nature, and not the type of person to challenge the authority of the cleric’s dress code for women.
Iranian authorities are insistent Amini did not die from injuries caused from being beaten, but from a heart attack brought on by pre-existing conditions. It has been reported by that Amini suffered a brain hemorrhage resulting in a stroke. The details surrounding Amini’s death have not been confirmed by Iranian authorities or medical professionals.
In response to worldwide protests, Iranian officials have limited internet access. According to the “Iran Primer Part 3, Laws for Iranian Women” published on December 8, 2020, it reads:
“All females are required to cover their hair and dress modestly from the age of puberty. The law vaguely defined what constitutes acts against morality, and authorities have long prosecuted hundreds of people for such acts, as well as for consensual extramarital sex.”
