France described Monday, September 19 as
"deeply shocking"
the arrest by the Iranian morality police of a young woman and her death in custody, in a statement from its Foreign Ministry.
The death of 22-year-old Masha Amini, arrested on September 13 in Tehran for
"wearing inappropriate clothes"
by the morality police, responsible for imposing the Islamic Republic's strict dress code on women, has sparked a wave of anger in Iran, where President Ebrahim Raisi has called for an investigation to be opened.
Several demonstrations took place on Sunday and Monday in the country.
“The arrest and then death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, in
Tehran, at the hands of the Iranian morality police, is deeply shocking.
France condemns this arrest and the violence that led to his death and offers its sincere condolences to his family
,” said the spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
Read alsoIran: in the face of the morality police, women burn their hijab and cut their hair
France calls for a
"transparent investigation (...) to shed full light on the circumstances of this tragedy"
, and reaffirms
"its constant and determined commitment, everywhere in the world, to combat and eliminate all forms of violence towards women and girls”
.
Masha Amini fell into a coma three days after her arrest and died in hospital, according to state television and her family.
Tehran's police chief, General Hossein Rahimi, dismissed the accusations of mistreatment, lamenting
"an unfortunate incident"
.