PremiumEbrahim Raisi's comments were made in a condolence telephone call to the family of a security agent stabbed to death last week, allegedly by protesters enraged over the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police.
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President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that Iran must 'deal decisively with those who oppose the country's security and tranquility', Reuters has reported citing Iranian state media.
Raisi's comments were made in a condolence telephone call to the family of a security agent stabbed to death last week, allegedly by protesters enraged over the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police.
Protesters across Iran continued to clash violently with security forces. Some state-organised demonstrations also took place on Friday in several Iranian cities to counter anti-government protests, with some marchers calling for the execution of "rioters."
The death of Mahsa while in police custody has sparked outrage and has seen women coming on the streets to burn their 'hijab' (headscarf). Some have also posted videos on social media of cutting their hair.
Mahsa Amini died on September 16, three days after she was hospitalised following her arrest by the morality police, a unit responsible for enforcing the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women. As per news report, the 22-year-old reportedly died of a 'heart attack.
Earlier, the President had said that the death of the Mahsa Amini must be “steadfastly" investigated.
“I contacted her family at the very first opportunity and I assured them we would continue steadfastly to investigate that incident. ... Our utmost preoccupation is the safeguarding of the rights of every citizen."
While visiting the UN General Assembly, Iran’s president also turned the tables and asked: What about all the people killed by American police?
“Did all these deaths get investigated?" Ebrahim Raisi said at a news conference held in New York on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the world’s leaders. He lamented what he said were “double standards" in the West with regards to human rights.
Raisi, who addressed the General Assembly formally on Wednesday, pointed out that bad things happen to people at the hands of authorities everywhere.
“What about the death of Americans at the hands of U.S. law enforcement?" he asked about his country’s rival nation, also mentioning deaths of women in Britain that he said were not investigated. He called for the “same standard" around the world in dealing with such deaths at the hands of authorities.
Raisi’s comparison reflects a common approach by Iranian leaders, who when confronted with accusations of rights violations often point to Western society and its “hegemony" and demand that those nations similarly be held accountable. Neither the United States nor Britain, however, has morality police vested with authority over citizens
Of Mahsa Amini’s death, which has produced clashes between protesters and security forces in Iran, he said authorities were doing what they needed to do.
Meanwhile, the Iranian police said Amini, detained for violating the morality police’s strict dress code, died of a heart attack and was not mistreated. Her family has cast doubt on that account.
The Iran's clerical rulers fear a revival of the protests that erupted in 2019 over gasoline price rises, the bloodiest in the Islamic Republic's history. As per Reuters, 1,500 people were killed.
The demonstrations in Iran began as an emotional outpouring over the death of Amini, whose death has been condemned by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. The US government imposed sanctions on the morality police and leaders of other Iranian security agencies, saying they “routinely employ violence to suppress peaceful protesters."
(With inputs from agencies)