Iran coroner says Mahsa Amini died of “underlying diseases”

Iran’s national coroner has claimed that Mahsa Amini died from an underlying illness, and not from physical blows.

Iran’s Forensic Organisation said in an official medical report published on Friday that “Mahsa Amini’s death was not caused by blows to the head and vital organs and limbs of the body”.

The death of Amini, whose Kurdish first name is Jhina, was related to “surgery for a brain tumour at the age of eight,” it said in a statement.

Referring to the day she collapsed in custody, the coroner’s report said Amini had regained consciousness before falling again due to what it described as “underlying diseases”.

“Due to the ineffective cardio-respiratory resuscitation in the first critical minutes, she suffered severe hypoxia and as a result brain damage despite recovery from cardiac functioning,” it said.

Amini, 22, died on September 16, three days after falling into a coma following her arrest in Tehran by the morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.

Amini’s bereaved parents have filed a complaint against the officers involved, and one of her cousins living in Iraq has told AFP she died of “a violent blow to the head”.

Her death in he custody of the morality police has sparked protests across the country for over 2 weeks.

Despite the security forces’ use of lethal force, the women-led protests have continued for 20 consecutive days and nights, according to online videos verified by AFP.

Other young girls have lost their lives at the protests, but Amnesty International says Iran has been forcing televised confessions out of their families to “absolve themselves of responsibility for their deaths”.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei has blamed the United States and Israel for the unrest, accusing the countries of trying to stop Iran’s “progress”.

In a widening crackdown, Iran has blocked access to social media, including Instagram and WhatsApp and security forces have rounded up high profile supporters of the movement, including journalists and pop stars.