Mahsa Amini's father breaks silence: Protests "not for our sake"

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English + Agencies
23 Sep 2022 12:34
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Mahsa Amini's death has been exploited by media to reach the extent of chaotic protests, but Amini's father condemns those actions and seeks the truth amid the turmoil of US sanctions.

Mahsa Amini's father breaks silence says protest "not for our sake" (EPA)

As the protests in Iran continue to cause chaos under the pretense of solidarity with Mahsa Amini's family following her death, the father of the deceased, Amjad Amini, confirmed that the gatherings and demonstrations held in a number of Iranian provinces, "have nothing" to do with the family, and "were not for our sake."

He then added that he and Mahsa's family "are disgruntled by them," according to the Iranian Tasnim agency.

The father of Amini explained that the family's only desire was to deal with and "punish" anyone who could have been a reason for his daughter's death.

Amini stressed that the family had not yet been informed of the results of forensic tests regarding the causes of his daughter's death.

Notably, the Director General of Forensic Medicine in Tehran Province said Wednesday that there are no traces of beating or wounds on the head and face of the late Iranian Mahsa Amini, unlike what is being propagated through Western media.

"Concerning the misleading information about blood coming out of Amini's ears and a fracture at the base of her skull, we, forensic doctors, confirm that there are no signs of bruising or swelling on her eye and no fracture in her skull either," the Director General said.

The forensic report showed that there are no signs of skull fracture, and the autopsy conducted on Amini's body revealed no bleeding or rupture of her internal organs. However, these results show that her death is not a result of an external force but there have not been any revelations as to what did result in her death as of yet.

Iranian presidency, authorities directly involved in case investigation

Following the incident, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Amini's family, on Thursday, confirming that he had ordered the incident to be investigated carefully.

"Your daughter is like my own daughter, and I feel that this incident happened to one of my loved ones. Please accept my condolences," Raisi told Amini's family.

A tweet on Iran's official Twitter profile said that Raisi told the Amini family that "I have ordered the incident to be investigated carefully so that no right is violated."

President Raisi to the family of the late #MahsaAmini : I have ordered the incident to be investigated carefully so that no right is violated https://t.co/9tqeoV5SBM pic.twitter.com/EaDRS2y4pf
— Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (@Iran_GOV) September 18, 2022

Earlier, Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei stressed that the judiciary will closely investigate the case of Amini's death, assuring her family that he has ordered the judicial bodies to carry out a thorough investigation of the case.

It is noteworthy that Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian pointed out Tuesday that "an investigation was ordered into the tragic death of Mahsa, who, as the President said, was just like our own daughters."

According to the Iranian Minister, "to Iran, human rights are of inherent value unlike those who see it a tool against adversaries," hinting at the US.

An investigation was ordered into tragic death of Mahsa, who, as President said, was just like our own daughters.

To Iran, human rights are of inherent value- unlike those who see it a tool against adversaries.

Instead of shedding crocodile tears, US must end #EconomicTerrorism
— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) September 20, 2022

US sanctions Iran, again

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran's morality police over allegations of abuse of Iranian women, saying it held the unit responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini in custody.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement that "The Iranian government needs to end its systemic persecution of women and allow peaceful protest."

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement that the designated senior officials, in regards to the sanctions, included the morality police's head, Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi; the commander of the Iranian army's ground forces, Kiyumars Heidari; and Esmail Khatib, Iran's minister of intelligence.

Furthermore, the treasury identified others such as Haj Ahmad Mirzaei, head of the morality police's Tehran division; Salar Abnoush, deputy commander of the Basij paramilitary group [one of the five divisions of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps]; as well as Qasem Rezaei and Manouchehr Amanollahi of Iran's Law Enforcement Forces.

The US government stated that any property and interests in property of individuals named that come under US jurisdiction have been banned and must be reported to the Treasury.

Foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate a substantial transaction or provide significant services for individuals sanctioned may face penalties, it warned.

In a first, when asked about whether the US would be ready to provide Iranians with satellite internet services, a senior State Department official, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity said "We're looking at what we can do to provide greater support to those who are trying to express themselves peacefully... and we'll have more to say in the coming days."

The West takes advantage of the death of a 22-year-old

The New York Times wrote about "the death on Friday of a 22-year-old woman in Iran after she was detained by the morality police," claiming that "morality police units arbitrarily enforce the rules, and their tactics range from verbal notices to monetary fines, to violently dragging women into vans for detention."

In a similar tone, France 24 wrote, "A young Iranian woman is in a coma and fighting for her life after being arrested in Tehran by the Islamic republic's morality police."

The Guardian, MondAfrique, The World Today, and many others have also adopted that rhetoric and rushed to announce her death all for the sake of targeting Iran's internal policies without awaiting any response from the police or official authorities or even the results of the investigation.

The US Envoy to Iran Robert Malley also took the chance and joined the anti-Iran campaign, which is based on false news, and raced to condemn the internal Iranian laws in a Tweet:

Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained in custody for an “improper” hijab is appalling. Our thoughts are with her family. Iran must end its violence against women for exercising their fundamental rights. Those responsible for her death should be held accountable #مهسا_امینی
— Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley (@USEnvoyIran) September 16, 2022

Propagating Iranophobia, which is a main course on the western agenda, is not new. Only this time, unfortunately, the West has gone as far as exploiting the death of an innocent woman all for the sake of politicizing the incident and pushing further their anti-Iran propaganda, completely turning a blind eye to the truth.

The story as it is

Al Mayadeen decided to investigate the topic and get to the bottom of the story. After contacting several official sources in Iran, Al Mayadeen learned that Amini was never assaulted, beaten, or abused, and the proof was CCTV footage that slammed western reports as fake and fabricated.

The incident, recorded by the CCTV, shows a female police officer approaching Amini and pointing at her hijab. Amini and the officer entered into a verbal disagreement, after which the officer turned around and left Amini alone.

A video circulated by Iranian state media showcasing the circumstances of the incident through a combination of several CCTV clips.

At this point, and without any physical altercation taking place between the two - contrary to western media reports which claimed that Amini was brutally beaten - Amini fainted and it was later reported that she fell into a coma. The police officer can be seen rushing to support Amini to prevent her from falling. Amini was then transferred to the hospital for treatment.

The video shows that there was no violence and no beating whatsoever and that not even an arrest was made. Official sources told Al Mayadeen that Amini had a brain tumor and that she has been undergoing treatment for some time prior to the incident. Medical records confirm Amini's multiple visits to the hospital for treatment.