Armita Geravand

Armita Geravand was a 17-year-old Iranian girl who fell into a coma on the Tehran Metro on 1 October 2023 after an alleged encounter with officers enforcing Islamic Hijab. She was held in the intensive care unit of an Army hospital where she was declared brain dead on 22 October 2023, and declared dead on 28 October. This incident has been compared to the death of Mahsa Amini and called "unbearable" by the German foreign minister. In Iran, women are required by law to cover their hair and wear loose fitting clothes as part of strict Islamic dress codes. Those who violate these rules face public rebuke, fines, or arrest by the Guidance Patrol, also known as the morality police.

A witness claimed that soon after Geravand entered the subway car a hijab enforcer started arguing with her because she was not wearing a headscarf. The argument turned violent, and the hijab enforcer physically attacked her. According to the Tehran and Houmah Metro Company, the TWM-EM-1203 series subway car that Geravand boarded is equipped with multiple video surveillance cameras. However, Iranian news agencies have not released any footage from inside the train.

Allegations According to the Norway-based human rights group Hengaw, Geravand was confronted by morality police officers for not wearing a headscarf and, after a brief altercation, she was assaulted and fell, causing her to hit her head and lose consciousness. Iranian authorities have denied any physical confrontation took place and claim she fainted due to low blood pressure.

Aftermath Geravand's mother and a journalist for the daily newspaper Shargh who was interviewing her were arrested. In response to the protests, the regime has cracked down on activism and tightened hijab laws.