Iranian women remove hijabs as a mark of protest | VIDEO

Several women took off their headscarves (hijabs) as a mark of protest over the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini in Western Iran on Saturday. The woman was reportedly thrashed up by the country’s police over hijab rules. Amini died in detention, sparking outrage.

Several videos posted on social media on Saturday purported to show protesters in Saqez chanting anti-government slogans while the Iranian police fired tear gas to disperse the protest rally in the country's west .

The police have said that 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained on Tuesday after Iran's so-called “morality police" found fault with her headscarf, or hijab, had died of a heart attack. The police have also released closed circuit footage from the police station, which they say shows the moment Amini collapsed. A relative has said she had no history of heart disease.

Amini's death triggered an outcry against the morality police from celebrities and prominent figures on social media. Iran's judiciary launched an investigation into her death.

The headscarf has been compulsory for women in Iran since after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and members of the morality police enforce the strict dress code. The force has been criticised in recent years over its treatment of people, especially young women, and videos uploaded on social media have shown officers forcing women into police vehicles.

With AP inputs

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