Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Thursday that the death at the age of 22 of Mahsa Amini which provoked demonstrations in Iran, would be the subject of an “investigation”. However, he denounced the hypocrisy of Western powers.
“Rest assured, an investigation will certainly be opened,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York, while indicating that the medical examiner’s report had not mentioned abuse by the police, which the demonstrators dispute.
He “contacted the family of the deceased”
“But I don’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly,” he said. “If one of the parties has committed wrongs, this must certainly be investigated,” assured the Iranian president, saying that he had “contacted the family of the deceased” and promised to “d ‘investigate the incident diligently’.
Protests, in which at least 17 people have died according to state media reports, have erupted in Iran since authorities announced the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16.
She had been arrested for “wearing inappropriate clothing” by the morality police, responsible for enforcing the strict dress code in the Islamic Republic.
VIDEO. In Iran, protests break out across the country after the death of Mahsa Amini
His death drew international condemnation. For its part, the United States announced Thursday economic sanctions targeting Iranian morality police and several security officials for “violence against demonstrators”, as well as for the fate of Mahsa Amini.
“Why not call for the same for those who lose their lives at the hands of law enforcement across the West – Europe, North America, the United States?” the Iranian president wondered again. denouncing the hypocrisy of the West.
In his speech Wednesday before the UN General Assembly, he had already accused the West of having “double standards” when it comes to women’s rights.