Ebrahim Raisi told a press conference on the sidelines of the UN general assembly that Mahsa Amini’s death while in moral police custody “must definitely be investigated.” “I contacted her family at the earliest opportunity and assured them that we will continue to steadfastly investigate this incident … Our utmost concern is to ensure the rights of every citizen.” Regarding Amini’s death, he said the authorities did what they had to do and that the responsibility now lies in the hands of the judiciary. At least 31 people are feared by rights groups to have died in six days of protests, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kourdia on September 16. On Thursday, protesters set fire to police stations and vehicles in several cities, and Iran shut down the internet in parts of Tehran and Kurdistan and blocked access to platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp in an attempt to curb the growing protest movement. Iranian women have taken to the streets and online to burn their headscarves and cut their hair. Amini was arrested for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an “inappropriate” manner. Activists said the woman, whose Kurdish name is Gina, had suffered a fatal blow to the head, a claim denied by officials, who have announced an investigation. Police continue to maintain that she died of natural causes, but her family suspects she was beaten and tortured. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at a news conference in New York on Thursday. Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP On Thursday, Raisi tried to change things in the country he was visiting by asking about police shootings in the US. “Were all these deaths investigated?” he said. The scope of the ongoing unrest in Iran, the worst in years, remains unclear as protesters in more than a dozen cities – venting anger at social repression and growing crises in the country – continue to face security forces and paramilitaries. Raisi, who formally addressed the general assembly on Wednesday, said bad things had happened to people at the hands of authorities everywhere, making vague references to the US and the UK. He called for “the same standards” around the world to deal with such deaths at the hands of the authorities. Raisi’s comparison reflects a common approach among Iranian leaders, who when faced with accusations of rights abuses often point to Western society and its “hegemony” and demand that those nations be held accountable as well. Raisi, who headed the country’s judiciary before becoming president, said the investigation into Amini’s death finally ended there. The protests have turned into an open challenge to the government, with some Iranians calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic itself. They are the most serious protests since 2019, when protests broke out over a government hike in the price of petrol. While not outright condemning the protests, Raisi said: “What is happening, the protests… of course they are normal and completely acceptable… We have to distinguish between protesters and vandalism. Demonstrations are good for expressing specific issues.” The US imposed sanctions on the morality police and leaders of other Iranian security services on Thursday, saying they “systematically use force to suppress peaceful protesters”. With the Associated Press
