Iranian state television reported: “The death of an Iranian young woman after she was arrested on Wednesday in Tehran by the police department responsible for ensuring that women wear the hijab.” Mahsa Amini, 22, was in Tehran with her family when she was stopped on Wednesday by a police unit tasked with imposing a strict dress code for women, including a requirement to cover their hair with a headscarf.

Yesterday, Thursday, the Tehran police indicated that “Mahsa Amini was arrested along with other women for dress code ‘instructions'”, explaining that “she suddenly developed heart problems … and was immediately taken to the hospital.”

And state television confirmed, “Unfortunately, she died and her body was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.” It was not immediately clear what happened between the young woman’s arrival at the police station and her transfer to the hospital.

Before the death was announced, the Iranian president indicated in a statement that President Ibrahim Raisi had instructed the interior minister to investigate the matter. The judiciary also announced through its Mizan news agency that it had set up a special commission of inquiry. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the law required all women, regardless of nationality or religious beliefs, to wear a headscarf covering their head and neck.