Death of Iranian woman may not be caused by blow to head, report says

A young woman whose death triggered weeks of violent unrest in Iran did not die due to blows to the head and limbs but from multiple organ failure, a coroner's report said Friday.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran's Kurdistan region, died in custody last month after being arrested by morality police in Tehran's capital, Tehran, for failing to cover her hair and defying the country's strict dress codes. Amini died after falling ill and slipping into a coma, but her family said she had been beaten by officers and complained about the way investigations into her death have been conducted.

However, The Iranian Legal Medical Organization, which describes itself as independent but is part of the country's judiciary, said in Friday that an underlying disease related to surgery she had had when she was 8, caused Amini to lose consciousness after she developed a disorder in her heart rhythm and suffered from a decrease in blood pressure. A resuscitation operation proved ineffective, the statement said, adding that she suffered from severe hypoxia and brain damage in the first critical minutes. The hypoxia sufferers have low oxygen levels in the body. Symptoms include a rapid heart rate and breathing difficulties.

A physical examination of the body and autopsy, pathology tests showed that her death was not caused by blows to the head or any vital organs and parts of the body, the report said.

Amini's family previously denied she had a pre-existing condition. Police denied that Amini had been beaten and insisted that she died after suffering a heart attack. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who is a hardliner, has ordered an investigation into her death and offered his condolences to her family.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei broke his silence on Monday about her death, according to Iran s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The young girl's hearts are broken for her, according to the government-aligned Tasnim news agency.

He accused Israel and the United States of planning the protests that took place in cities across the country and seen people take to the streets daily in anti-government demonstrations.

Iranian women have been seen waving and burning their headscarves in a direct challenge to the strict laws on how women dress.

Schoolgirls have also joined the anti-government protests, removing their headscarves and chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic.

Thousands of people in Europe and American cities like Los Angeles have attended rallies in solidarity outside Iran, while thousands of others have cut their hair in solidarity. The Iranian men's soccer team held its own silent protest before a game in Austria last week, wearing black jackets that covered their national team emblem.

Iranian state TV reported last week that 41 had died in the demonstrations, although no official number has been given since then. Human rights groups estimate this number to be much higher.