The 16-year-old Armita Geravand, who was reportedly assaulted by the country's morality police in Tehran's metro for wearing her hijab properly, has succumbed to her injuries, according to a report by state-controlled media.
Earlier, it was reported that Geravand slipped into a coma following the alleged assault on October 1 and was declared 'brain dead' earlier this week. Although it was not clear whether the police assaulted her inside the metro at that time, authorities claimed that the girl "fainted" due to low blood pressure. The authorities said that there was no involvement of the security forces.
The Iranian teenager's injuries and death now threaten to reignite protests across the country, one year after a similar incident happened to the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The latter's death sparked widespread and defiant protests against Iran's strict hijab laws.
The mysterious incident
Geravand's clash with security forces on October 1 remains a mystery. While her friend told Iranian media that she hit her head on the station's platform, footage from a broadcaster was blocked and her body was carried off.
The teenager's mother and father appeared in state media footage saying a blood pressure issue, a fall or perhaps both contributed to their daughter’s injury. However, a Norway-based human rights organisation and other activists abroad said that she was "assaulted" by Iran's morality police.
The female morality police officers had approached Geravand in the metro and asked her to adjust her hijab, according to a member of the organisation. UN officials and rights groups have previously accused Iranian authorities of pressuring families of killed protesters to make statements supportive of the government narrative.
"Unfortunately, the brain damage to the victim caused her to spend some time in a coma and she died a few minutes ago. According to the official theory of Armita Geravand's doctors, after a sudden drop in blood pressure, she suffered a fall, a brain injury, followed by continuous convulsions, decreased cerebral oxygenation and a cerebral edema," said the Iranian state media.
Geravand’s injury sparked renewed criticism of Iran’s treatment of women and of the mandatory hijab law. The government passed a 'hijab bill' in September imposing much harsher penalties on women who breach hijab rules, including 10 years in prison.
Mahsa Amini's death
This incident comes a year after the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died on September 16 last year after being arrested on the charges of wearing her hijab improperly. She was reportedly beaten up by officers in the head with a baton after which she called collapsed on the way to a detention centre. Her death provoked widespread protests across Iran, with many refusing to follow the strict dress code.
Since the protests began, at least 529 people have been killed in demonstrations, according to Human Rights activists in Iran. Over 19,700 others have been detained by authorities amid a violent crackdown trying to suppress the dissent.
The Iranian regime faced massive pressure from across the world to outlaw the morality police. However, the Iranian authorities did not alter any laws and charged the West for disturbing the law and order situation in the country.
Iranian authorities have called the protests 'foreign-instigated riots' and seven men have been executed in protest-related cases. In the crackdown against protests, Iranian authorities are said to have extended their reach towards journalists and media professionals as well.
(with inputs from agencies)
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