Mahsa Amini: Olaf Scholz calls the death of the young woman in Iran "terrible"

Enlarge image

Died in police custody: Mahsa Amini

Photo:

Social Networks / ZUMA Wire / IMAGO

Morality police in Tehran arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for not wearing her headscarf correctly.

Amini was dead a few days later. Now Germany is also getting involved in the case, which triggered nationwide protests in Iran.

The federal government asked the regime in Tehran to clarify the circumstances of the death.

"A rapid and immediate investigation" of the 22-year-old is important, said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called Amini's death in police custody "terrible".

The fatalities in the protests of courageous women in Iran depressed him, Scholz tweeted.

»No matter where in the world: women must be able to live independently – without having to fear for their lives.«

Hebestreit said that as with Amini's death, the federal government was "equally dismayed that scores of other people appear to have died in the nationwide protests over the death of Ms. Amini."

A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office said that the German government was currently discussing a joint approach with its partners at EU level on possible reactions to the events in Iran.

Nothing can be said about possible concrete steps at the moment.

After her arrest, Amini collapsed at the police station under unclear circumstances and was pronounced dead at the hospital three days later.

According to police, she suffered a heart attack.

According to human rights activists, Amini was fatally hit on the head.

Amini's death triggered a nationwide wave of protests in Iran.

According to Iranian state television, 17 people died.

According to the latest information from the Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization based in Oslo, as many as 36 people were killed.

Iranian security forces arrest well-known activists and journalist

The Iranian authorities meanwhile arrested a well-known activist and a journalist.

The activist Majid Tawakoli, who has already been arrested several times, was taken into custody on Friday night, as his brother wrote on Twitter.

In addition, the reporter Nilufar Hamedi was arrested, as the daily newspaper "Schargh", for which she works, announced in the online service Telegram.

Hamedi had reported on the Amini case.

as /dpa/AFP