Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi used his speech at this year's United Nations General Assembly to accuse the West of hypocrisy over women’s rights, in the context of his country currently receiving a lot of criticism over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Last Friday, Amini was killed after she was arrested by the "morality police" for violating the Islamic dress code. It is said that she was severely beaten by the officers after her arrest, with the injuries proving fatal.
Raisi called out the "one-sided focus" on her death and instead chose to point to violations of human rights by the West, calling it out as hypocrisy.
Specifically, he mentioned the Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories in which human rights are being violated and claimed they hardly get the same level of attention. He also spoke about the violence and deaths faced by indigenous women in Canada.
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After Amini’s death, large protests broke out in several Iranian cities. Women took off their hijabs, and some threw them in fires or cut their hair. The police intervened heavily in some locations with tear gas and batons, but there were also targeted shots.
Several people have already died in the protests. A police officer has allegedly died as well.
