Anger as Iran woman dies after morality police arrest

A young Iranian woman who fell into a coma after being arrested in Tehran by the notorious morality police died on Friday, state media and her family said, with activists urging those responsible for her "suspicious" death be brought to justice.

Mahsa Amini, 22, was on a visit with her family to the Iranian capital when she was detained on Tuesday by the police unit responsible for enforcing the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women, which include the compulsory wearing of the headscarf in public.

"Unfortunately, she died and her body was transferred to the medical examiner's office," Iranian state television reported.

Persian-language media, including the Iran Wire website and the Shargh newspaper have quoted her family as saying that the previously healthy Amini had been rushed to hospital in a coma a few hours after her arrest and had now died.

It is not yet clear what happened between her arriving at the police station and her departure for hospital. The 1500tavsir channel, which monitors violations in Iran, said she had suffered a blow to the head.

Images posted on social media showed crowds gathering outside the hospital where she was being treated and police trying to disperse the dozens who had gathered. People were also shown angrily shouting anti-regime slogans later in the evening in Tehran.

"The circumstances leading to the suspicious death in custody of 22-year-old young woman Mahsa Amini, which include allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in custody, must be criminally investigated," Amnesty International said.

"The so-called 'morality police' in Tehran arbitrarily arrested her three days before her death while enforcing the country's abusive, degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws," it added.

"All agents and officials responsible must face justice."

US President Joe Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, denounced her death.

"We are deeply concerned by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was reportedly beaten in custody by Iran's morality police," he tweeted Friday.

"Her death is unforgivable. We will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for such human right abuses."

State television broadcast images on Friday purportedly showing her falling to the ground inside a large hall full of women while arguing with one of the female instructors about her dress.