Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on the 28th (local time) that an Iranian teenage girl who was injured in a mysterious incident while not wearing a hijab in the Tehran subway a few weeks ago has died.
The death of Armita Garawand, 16, while in a coma for weeks in Tehran, comes after nationwide protests sparked following the first anniversary of Mahasa Amini’s mysterious death. Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman, died in September last year when she was 22 years old, after being arrested for not wearing her hijab properly.
The Associated Press pointed out on the 1st that it remains a mystery what happened in the seconds after Armita Garawand boarded the train.
A friend told Iranian state television that Garawand had hit his head on a subway platform, while state television showed soundless footage of Garawand’s limp body being carried outside the subway, obscured by passers-by. Garawand is said to have fallen into a state of ‘brain death’ after a scuffle with the guidance patrol (Gashte Ershard), also known as the ‘moral police’.
Garawand’s parents appeared on national television and said blood pressure issues, a fall or both could have been the cause of their daughter’s injuries.
Foreign activists claimed Garawand may have been pushed or attacked for not wearing a hijab. They also called for an independent investigation by a UN fact-finding mission into Iran, citing the fact that Iran exerted pressure on victims’ families and that state-run television had a history of broadcasting hundreds of forced confessions.
In this regard, Hengau, a Kurdish human rights group based in Norway, claimed that physical violence was used during the crackdown because Garawand did not comply with the obligation to wear the hijab.
IRNA news agency did not mention the controversy surrounding Garawand’s injury in its report, AP reported.
Regarding Garawand’s death, IRNA news agency reported, “Unfortunately, he fell into a coma due to brain damage and died a few minutes ago.”
In addition, citing the official opinion of the doctors who treated Armita Garawand, it was said that Garawand suffered a fall, brain damage, persistent convulsions, decreased brain oxygen, and cerebral edema after a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Garawand’s rise comes as Iranian authorities put the morality police involved in Amini’s death back on the streets and lawmakers push for stricter punishments for those who flout the hijab.
Amini died in hospital on September 16, 2022, after being detained by Iran’s moral police on charges of wearing the hijab inappropriately. Her allegations that she was beaten during her arrest led to mass protests that marked the biggest challenge to Iran’s theocratic government since the revolution.
As those large-scale protests subsided, many women in Iran were seen ignoring the law and taking off their hijabs, the AP reported.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.