A brief review of the manner of arrest and the clerical regime’s cover-up of Mahsa Amini’s murder
Mahsa Amini (Zhina) was a young woman from Saqqez who had just been admitted to the university. She was in Tehran with her family to visit her relatives. On September 13, 2022, she was arrested near the Haqqani metro station in Tehran for improper veiling.
She was then transferred to the Morality Police headquarters. Some two hours later, Mahsa fell into a coma after being severely beaten by police. She died on September 16.
Mahsa Amini’s murder provoked the anger of Iranians and sparked a flaming uprising that lasted several months across more than 200 Iranian cities.
The arrest of Mahsa Amini
Mahsa Amini was arrested at 6 p.m. while she and her brother Kiarash were at the Haqqani Highway terminal in Tehran. She was arrested for improper veiling. Her brother tried to prevent Mahsa’s arrest, but his efforts led to a conflict with the officers, and he was also beaten. Mahsa Amini’s uncle said the officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Kiarash was told Mahsa would be released after completing an orientation class at the detention center. However, two hours later, he received news that his sister had lost consciousness.
Brain stroke and death of Mahsa Amini
Mahsa’s brother went to the detention center to free his sister. He saw an ambulance leaving the detention center and asked a guard about it. In response, the guard said, “One of our soldiers was wounded.” Kiarash Amini continued searching for his sister, showing her photo to anyone he could find when he realized the ambulance had taken her away.
After hearing the news, Mahsa Amini’s mother went to the hospital and was informed that her daughter had suffered a stroke. Mahsa died three days after her arrest, on September 16, 2022.
The Iranian regime’s false narratives
Two days after Mahsa’s death was publicly announced, the State Security Force issued a false statement, indicating that Mahsa Amini’s mistreatment was “news and claims by hostile media.” They also claimed that the arresting agents had “directed” Mahsa Amini to the detention center for “re-education,” but she “suddenly suffered a heart problem.” The SSF also released a video showing Mahsa Amini passed out for no reason. The video does not match statements by witnesses.
SSF video contradicts eyewitness accounts
Eyewitnesses say Mahsa was beaten by officers in the car until she fainted. The officers proceeded to ignore her for a lengthy period. An eyewitness said, “It was because of our screams that they finally took action.”
One of the arrested people who saw Mahsa Amini up close said, “During the route, a fierce argument took place between the detainees and the officers. Ms. Amini and I were among those who protested our detention. During these arguments, officers tried to silence us all with physical violence. Ms. Amini was also beaten. She was still conscious when she reached the Vozara detention center, although she was very lethargic.”
Another witness said, “Dozens of other girls and I were in a large hall in the Vozara detention center. After a few minutes, we realized one was not well. Several of us asked the officers there to take care of the girl, and after prolonged inattention by the officers, we started shouting at them because Ms. Amini had gone white and looked very sick.
“Gradually, other detainees joined us and asked for help for Mahsa Amini. The officers were completely indifferent to the matter, but I and the other detainees did not stop protesting until the officers attacked us with full violence. They beat us with batons and used pepper spray. Mahsa Amini was among those who were injured at the time, and she almost lost consciousness after that.”
Scientific opinions of expert doctors
The published pictures of Mahsa Amini show her in a hospital bed with bleeding ears. Seeing this scene, expert doctors wrote in the virtual space that ear bleeding is not related to heart attacks but is caused by skull fractures and concussion. The impact of concussions can lead to the patient’s death a few hours or even a few days later.
A doctor wrote on Twitter about the released government video and Mahsa’s condition in the hospital, and the officials’ official explanation:
“This video does not preclude a blow to the skull (for example, during an arrest). We have a lucid interval where the person faints due to the impact. Then they regain consciousness and are conscious despite extensive brain bleeding and they lose consciousness again. The lucid interval varies from a few minutes to a few days.”
Dr. Hamid Ahmadi said, “A young woman without an underlying disease will not have a stroke or go into a coma out of fear. Coma, in this situation, means a direct blow to the head, a bleeding brain. Trauma to the forehead and root region usually occurs in driving accidents and sometimes in occupational accidents or…
“This lesion first causes the fracture of the upper sinuses, and from there, it extends to the anterior cranial cavity. Instead, a skull base fracture may first involve the upper part of the frontal bone (along with the dura mater and intracranial structures) and then the fracture line may extend from there to the nasal sinuses. Base forehead fractures occur in 70% of all skull base fractures.”
In addition, the head of the Hormozgan Medical System Coordination Council wrote a letter to the head of the national medical system about the need to investigate and clarify the cause of Mahsa Amini’s death. In the letter, he indicated that bleeding from the ears and bruises under the eyes are inconsistent with a stroke.
Kasra Hospital’s deleted Instagram post
Kasra Hospital wrote in an Instagram post, “Ms. Mahsa Amini was referred to Kasra Hospital at 20:22 on Tuesday, September 13, with symptoms of cardio-respiratory arrest, no vital signs, and double mydriasis (brain death). With the resuscitation team’s special efforts, resuscitation was performed on the patient, the heartbeat returned, and the patient was admitted to the special care unit. Unfortunately, after 48 hours, on Friday, the patient suffered another cardiac arrest. Due to brain death, despite the medical team’s efforts, they were unable to revive her, and the patient died. Therefore, Ms. Mahsa Amini’s body was immediately referred to the forensic pathologist for further investigation.”
Kasra Hospital’s Instagram deleted the post without any explanation.
Disclosures by a Guidance Patrol agent
First Lieutenant Hassan Shirazi of Tehran’s Guidance Patrol disclosed how the injury led to Mahsa Amini’s murder. “When Mahsa was taken out of the van, I could see her from the window of one of the floors. The girl was terrified and screamed loudly while holding her hands on her head.
One of the sisters went to her and said, ‘Don’t scream, madam, you make a commitment, and you will be released in an hour.’ But there was such fear in the girl that I think she did not hear her words at all, and she continued to scream and say, ‘Let me go!’ The lady’s colleagues were dragging her toward the Guidance Patrol Detention Center’s building, and she was still screaming.
Suddenly, the commander of the Guidance Unit, IRGC Colonel Seyyed Abbas Hosseini, who seemed very angry to hear the girl’s screams, hit Mahsa on the head with a strong fist and said, ‘Shut up, you prostitute.’ Mahsa fell to the ground, and silence reigned over the unit. Then he kicked her and said, ‘Take her to Negative 2 Detention Center,’ our unit’s darkest detention center.
Mahsa was unconscious, but the women tried to lift her up. Mrs. Sediqi said, ‘She is not faking it, Colonel, she is unconscious,” and Mrs. Khaleghi insisted, “Her ear is bleeding.” Suddenly, everyone was in a rush, and the colonel, who did not want to show concern, returned to his office with his usual pride and arrogance. It took 20 minutes for the ambulance to come to the compound and take Mahsa away.
“I published the facts to the people of Iran, in accordance with my religious duty and the honor of the soldier that I have sworn to support. I also sent these reports in writing for the inspection of the organization and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s office. Mahsa did not have a heart attack, and this is the biggest lie on the part of the lawbreakers in the murder of a Muslim girl.”
Call for public mourning and protests
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), offered her deepest sympathies to Mahsa Amini’s family yesterday and called for public mourning.
She urged Iranian women to hold nationwide protests against the mullahs’ misogynous and evil regime and called for dismantling the Guidance Patrol. “The resistant and resilient women of Iran will stand up to the tyranny and oppression of the mullahs and the IRGC and defeat them. Iranian people and women will fight back with all their might,” she added.
