DUBAI, Oct 22 (Reuters) – A teenage Iranian girl, who fell into a coma earlier this month following an alleged encounter with officers over violating the country’s hijab law, is said to be “brain dead”, according to reports by Iranian state media on Sunday.
Various rights groups, including Kurdish-Iranian Hengaw, were the first to publicize Armita Geravand’s hospitalization, sharing photos of the 16-year-old girl on social media. These photos showed her unconscious, with a respiratory tube and bandage on her head, indicating that she was on life support. However, Reuters could not independently verify these images.
According to state media, “updates on Geravand’s health condition reveal that she is most likely brain dead, despite the efforts made by the medical staff.”
There is growing concern among human rights advocates that Geravand may suffer a fate similar to that of Mahsa Amini. Amini’s death while in detention by the morality police last year sparked nationwide anti-government protests, which posed a significant challenge to Iran’s clerical rulers.
Iran has denied allegations that Geravand was harmed during a confrontation with officers enforcing the mandatory Islamic dress code in the Tehran metro on October 1.
Since the popular revolution in 1979 that overthrew the secular and Western-backed Shah, Iran’s theocratic establishment has imposed dress restrictions on women. According to these regulations, women are required to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes.
Violators of the dress code may face public rebuke, fines, or arrest. Despite these consequences, more women have been appearing in public places without veils, such as malls, restaurants, and shops, since Amini’s death.
Reporting by Dubai Newsroom
Editing by Bernadette Baum
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
