Iranian leader promises 'firm' investigation into death of young woman

The death of an Iranian woman in the custody of the the country's morality police must be investigated 'constantly', Iran's president said on Thursday, even as he turned the tables on the country he was visiting for the UN General Assembly and asked, what about all the people killed by US police?

< p>"Have all of these deaths been investigated?" said Ebrahim Raisi during a press conference held in New York on the sidelines of the annual meeting of world leaders. He lamented what he called a "double standard" in the West on human rights.

On the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked clashes between protesters and security forces in Iran, he said the authorities were doing the right thing.

“It definitely needs to be investigated,” he said. declared. "I contacted his family at the very earliest opportunity and assured them that we would steadfastly continue to investigate this incident. ... Our utmost concern is safeguarding the rights of every citizen."

< p>Clashes between Iranian security forces and protesters angry over the death have claimed at least nine lives since violence erupted over the weekend, according to a tally Thursday by The Associated Press. According to Iranian police, Amini, detained for violating the strict morality police dress code, died of a heart attack and was not abused. His family have cast doubt on that account.

The extent of Iran's ongoing unrest, the worst in several years, still remains unclear as protesters in more than a dozen cities - voice their anger over social repression and the country's rising crises - continue to clash with security and paramilitary forces.

Raisi, who formally addressed the General Assembly on Wednesday, stressed that bad things happen to people at the hands of authorities everywhere.

"What about the deaths of Americans at the hands of American law enforcement?" he asked about his country's rival nation, also mentioning the deaths of women in Britain which he said had not been investigated. He called for the "same standard" around the world in dealing with such deaths at the hands of the authorities.

Raisi's comparison reflects a common approach by Iranian leaders, who when faced with facing accusations of rights abuses, often point to Western society and its “hegemony” and demand that these nations be held accountable as well. Neither the United States nor Britain, however, has a morality police vested with authority over citizens.

Raisi, who led the country's justice system before becoming president, said the investigation into Amini's death ultimately rests there. As elections and open debates take place in Iran, the highest echelons of government are closely tied to the supreme leader, who has the final say on key state issues and appoints the head of the judiciary.

>

Protests have escalated in the past five days in open defiance of the government, with women stripping and burning their state-mandated headscarves in the streets and Iranians calling for the fall of the Islamic Republic itself. same. These are the most serious protests since 2019, when protests erupted over a government hike in petrol prices.

While he did not condemn the protests outright, he appeared to side with the deadly response that has resulted in the deaths of some protesters.

“What is happening , having protests...of course, that's normal and fully accepted," he said. "You have to differentiate between protesters and vandalism. Protests are good for expressing specific issues."

He added: "There is a debate in Iran."

Protests in Iran began with a wave of emotion following the death of Amini, whose death has condemned by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

The United States government has imposed sanctions on the morality police and leaders of other Iranian security agencies, saying that they "systematically use violence to suppress protesters.

Iranian police say Amini died of a heart attack and was not abused, but her family have questioned this fact. Independent experts affiliated with the UN said on Thursday that reports suggest...