Iranian Teenager in Critical Condition After Confrontation over Hijab Law
DUBAI, Oct 4 (Reuters) – A 16-year-old Iranian girl, Armita Geravand, is currently in critical condition in a hospital in Tehran after falling into a coma following a confrontation with authorities in the Tehran metro for violating the hijab law, according to two prominent rights activists who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.
Geravand’s case has raised concerns due to its sensitivity, as it reminds many of the tragic fate of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in a coma last year while in the custody of morality police. Amini’s death sparked months of nationwide protests.
While Iranian authorities have denied the claims made by rights groups that Geravand slipped into a coma on Sunday after a confrontation with officers enforcing the Islamic dress code, Iranian-Kurdish rights group Hengaw shared a picture of her unconscious at a Tehran hospital where she was taken after the incident.
The interior ministry of Iran has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the incident.
One of the activists in Iran stated, “We are closely following her case. She is in a coma at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, and her condition is critical. Her relatives said there is a heavy presence of plainclothes officers at the hospital.”
The second activist revealed that security forces have forbidden Geravand’s parents from posting her picture on social media or from speaking to human rights groups.
Due to the sensitivity of the matter, both activists spoke on condition of anonymity.
CCTV footage shared on IRNA showed Geravand and two female friends without the mandatory hijab as they walked towards the train from the metro platform. Once they entered the cabin, one of the girls immediately backed off and reached for the ground, while another girl was dragged unconscious from the cabin by passengers.
The authenticity of the footage could not be immediately verified by Reuters.
Masoud Dorosti, the head of the Tehran Metro Operating Company, stated to IRNA that the CCTV footage showed no signs of verbal or physical conflict between passengers or company employees.
According to Iranian media, an Iranian journalist was briefly arrested on Monday when she went to the hospital to inquire about Geravand’s condition.
Iran-based rights group Dadban criticized the security institutions, saying, “Iranian security institutions have said her condition was caused by low pressure – an oft-repeated scenario from such institutions” on social media.
In a video posted on state news agency IRNA, Geravand’s parents explained that their daughter had experienced a drop in blood pressure, lost her balance, and hit her head inside the metro cabin.
Her mother added, “I think my daughter’s blood pressure dropped, I am not too sure, I think they have said her pressure dropped.” She also emphasized that there is no point in creating controversy.
Rights groups on social media are demanding that authorities release the footage from inside the cabin, as they believe Geravand’s parents’ statement was made under duress.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed her concern on the situation, stating on social media platform X, “Once again a young woman in #Iran is fighting for her life. Just because she showed her hair in the subway. It is unbearable. The parents of #ArmitaGarawand do not belong in front of cameras but have the right to be at their daughter’s bedside.”
Please note: This news article includes content that was retrieved from Reuters.