The United States wants accountability for the death of an Iranian woman who was arrested in Tehran last week for wearing an “improper hijab”, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said on Monday, according to Reuters.
"Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained while in police custody for wearing an 'improper' hijab is an appalling and egregious affront to human rights," the official was quoted as having said. "Our thoughts are with Mahsa’s family and loved ones."
"Women in Iran should have the right to wear what they want, free from violence or harassment. Iran must end its use of violence against women for exercising their fundamental freedoms. There must be accountability for Mahsa’s death," added the official.
Amini, 22, slipped into a coma while in custody in Tehran last week and subsequently died.
Reports on social media said Amini had been detained by the so-called “morality police” after officers apparently found fault with hijab.
Amini's death sparked a wave of online criticism, with users noting that the injuries seen in a photo of her in a hospital bed point towards cranial injury, rather than cardiac event, as the cause of death. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered a probe in the case.
Meanwhile, Iranians have taken to the streets to protest Amini’s death. On Monday, five people were killed in Iran's Kurdish region when security forces opened fire during the protests, a Kurdish rights group said, according to Reuters.
Two of the people were killed as security forces opened fire on protesters in the Kurdish city of Saqez, Amini's hometown, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization said on Twitter.
It said two more were killed in the town of Divandarreh "by direct fire" from security forces, and a fifth was killed in Dehgolan, also in the Kurdish region.