The UN Special Reporter on Human Rights in Iran is monitoring the case a young Iranian woman was detained for removing her clothes to protest the country’s compulsory hijab at Tehran’s Azad university.
Maio Sato posted a video on X of the student, stating that she would be closely following the incident, and especially observing the authorities’ response.
The video, which was widely circulated on Saturday, shows a woman in her underwear being taken into custody by officers on campus.
Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and imprisoned human right activist, released a statement in prison saying that women pay for their defiance but do not submit to force.
She called for her release, and a stop to the harassment and suppression of women.
Amnesty Iran called for the immediate, unconditional release of the student and urged officials to protect her against mistreatment during her detention.
Amnesty Iran wrote on X, “Authorities must ensure that she is protected from torture and other ill treatment and has access to her family and lawyer”. This was done in order to prevent prison abuse, which has been documented by many rights groups following the crackdown on ‘Women, Life, Freedom” protests and women refusing to wear hijab.
“Allegations that she was beaten and sexually assaulted during her arrest require independent and impartial investigations.” The group stated that those responsible must be held accountable.
Sources among students claim that the woman’s protest was caused by harassment from the university security regarding the hijab policies. Amir Kabir Newsletter is a prominent student publication that appears on Telegram. It reported that the student had been transferred to a psychiatric facility under the orders of the IRGC intelligence organisation.
The newspaper Farhikhtegan affiliated with Azad university confirmed that she was admitted to a mental facility.
Amir Mahjoub (Director of Public Relations, Islamic Azad University) issued a press release on the same day saying that the woman was sent to a police department due to “severe mental distress,” echoing media reports close to the IRGC who claimed that she had mental issues.
State-affiliated media outlets circulated a later video of a male identifying himself as the woman’s husband, who claimed that she was a mother of two children and had mental health problems.
Social media users have condemned the incident, claiming that it is a common tactic used by authorities in order to delegitimize protestors who are female.
After Mahsa Amini died in custody of the morality police in September 2022, the crackdown on women who protested the mandatory hijab increased. This event sparked widespread protests by Iranians who called for greater freedoms and challenged systemic oppression.
Source: Iran International
Read More @ georgiatoday.ge