31-year-old female, severe lung-spinal injury
Authorities Control Cases Amid Internal Disturbance Concerns
A woman has reportedly been left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police in Iran, where retaliatory attacks on Israel are expected this week, for not wearing a hijab. Iranian authorities are keeping a tight lid on the incident for fear of causing internal unrest.
According to the British daily Guardian and the BBC, Iranian woman Arezu Badri (31, pictured) was shot on her way home on the 22nd of last month, suffering serious injuries to her lungs and spinal cord. The mother of two, who lives in Babolsar, Mazandaran Province, has been hospitalized for over three weeks after undergoing surgery, and is said to have no feeling below her waist.
At the time of the incident, the police noticed that Badri’s car, which was on her way home, was on the ‘impound list’ and ordered her to stop the car. The reason for the impoundment was that she ‘repeatedly drove without wearing the hijab’. The police fired at the wheels and driver’s seat of the car because she did not comply with the order.
Since April of last year, the Iranian National Police has been using surveillance cameras to crack down on women who do not wear the hijab in public places or in cars. If a driver is repeatedly caught driving without the hijab, the vehicle can be impounded.
According to the Human Rights Watch (HRM), Badri has had the bullet removed from his back, but he is likely to never walk again. He is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Bali Assar hospital in Tehran, run by Iranian police, and is also undergoing lung surgery.
Iranian authorities are extremely sensitive to the news about Badri being released to the outside world. His family is only allowed to see him for a few minutes a day, and his cellphones have been confiscated. Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist who has fled to the U.S., told X that “Badri’s family and relatives are under pressure not to report the incident,” adding, “How can you explain to your children in the 21st century that their mother was shot by the police for not covering her head?”
The BBC reported that “this is not the first time that the Iranian authorities have tried to cover up an incident of this kind,” and that “it is similar to the case of Armita Geravand, who died in October last year.” Geravand, who was 17 at the time, was beaten by police at a subway station for not wearing a hijab and died 28 days later. According to the BBC, police also pressured Geravand’s family to keep quiet.
Iran eased some of its restrictions in 2022 following nationwide protests over the death of 23-year-old Martha Amini, who died mysteriously after being arrested by police for not wearing a hijab, but has recently tightened its grip again. Earlier this month, CCTV footage emerged showing a 14-year-old girl being beaten by police for not wearing a hijab, sparking controversy.
Reporter Kim Yun-jin [email protected]
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2024-08-15 14:32:27