Fury Grows In Iran Over Woman Who Died After Hijab Arrest

PARIS, France - Protests persisted on Sunday and #MashaAmini became one of the top hashtag ever on Persian - language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of a young woman in the custody of morality police enforcing strict hijab rules.

Amini, 22, died on Friday after falling into a coma following her arrest in Tehran earlier in the week, putting a spotlight on women's rights in Iran.

Police rejected social media suspicions that she was beaten, saying she fall ill as she waited with other detained women.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Sunday around the University of Tehran on Sunday, shouting 'Woman, Life, Freedom', according to online videos.

Reuters could not verify the footage.

Under Iran's sharia or Islamic law, women are obligated to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Offenders face public rebuke, fines or arrest. But in recent months activists have urged women to remove veils despire the hardline rulers' crackdown on 'immoral behaviour'.

SURGING HASHTAG

The Persian hashtag #MashaAmini has now reached 1.63 million mentions on Twitter.

Amini was from Kurdistan, where there were also protests on Saturday, including at the funeral in her hometown Saqez. Itan's Revolutionary Guards have long put down unrest among the minority Kurds.

Police repressed the Saqez demonstrations, with videos posted online showing at least one man with a head injury. Reuters could not authenticate the video.

Behzad Rahimi, a member of parliament for Saqez, told semi-official ILNA news agency that a few people were wounded at the funeral. 'One of them was hospitalized in the Saqez Hospital after being hit in the intestines by ballbearings', he said.