Iranians protest over woman's death

In the north of the capital, a massive contingent of police and security forces were patrolling the streets, according to witnesses.

Crowds gathered in the Mellat People's Park, with some reportedly shouting slogans critical of the regime while several women took off their headscarves in solidarity with Amini, an ethnic Kurd.

In Amini's home province of Kurdistan, clashes erupted between security forces and demonstrators, the Kurdish news agency Kurdpa reported.

According to unverified reports, shots were also fired at the demonstration in the city of Divandarreh.

In several places, demonstrators shouted: "We are not afraid, we are all together" - a slogan that had become famous during the protests after the disputed presidential election in 2009.

The displays of outrage were taking different forms, with many mourning Amini's death online while some well-known Iranian women are cutting off their hair in protest.

Amini was arrested by the religious police on Tuesday because of her "un-Islamic" appearance and taken to a police station. 

According to police, she developed heart problems there and later died.

After her death, the hospital where she was treated wrote on a now-deleted post on Instagram that Amini was already brain dead when she was admitted on Tuesday.

Her case triggered outrage and mourning across the country. 

Numerous critics accused the police of beating Amini, which eventually led to her death on Friday. 

The police have rejected this account.

The accusations are "baseless," Tehran police chief Hossein Rahimi said on Monday, according to the Mehr News Agency, adding that police always strive to ensure that such cases do not occur.

"By law, it is now our duty to remind women of the dress code," the police chief said. 

"What they wear at home is their business but not in public." 

Officers did not touch a hair on the woman's head, however, Rahimi said.

Reports circulating online said the woman was arrested because her headscarf did not fit properly and a few strands of hair were visible.

Many women shared videos and photos on the internet to express their solidarity with Amini. 

Among them was the well-known actress Anahita Hemmati, who posted a video on Instagram, and Shabnam Farshadjoo.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran has had strict dress codes for women.

For just as long, however, these have been ignored by women, especially in the larger cities - much to the annoyance of arch-conservative politicians.

The government in Tehran and the hardliners in parliament have been trying for months to implement the Islamic laws more strictly.