Death of Armita Geravand
| Date | 1 October 2023 (coma) 28 October 2023 (death) |
|---|---|
| Venue | Tehran Metro |
| Location | Tehran, Iran |
| Cause | disputed |
Armita Geravand (Persian: آرمیتا گراوند) was a 17-year-old Iranian girl who fell into a coma on the Tehran Metro on 1 October 2023.[1] She was held in the intensive care unit of an Army hospital[2] where she was declared brain dead on 22 October 2023,[3] and declared dead on 28 October.[4] This incident has been compared to the death of Mahsa Amini and called "unbearable" by the German foreign minister.[2][1]
Background
Geravand's family is originally from the Tarhan District in the Kuhdasht County of Lorestan province, Iran.[5] In Iran, women are required by law to cover their hair and wear loose fitting clothes as part of strict Islamic dress codes.[6] Those who violate these rules face public rebuke, fines, or arrest by the Guidance Patrol, also known as the morality police.[2]
Incident
On 1 October 2023, 17-year-old Armita Geravand was seen going into the Tehran Metro with two friends. Her friends then dragged her out of the train, unconscious, called for medical help, and she was taken to a hospital.[1] She was admitted into the hospital with traumatic brain injury.[7]
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.[8] However, Iranian news agencies have not released any footage from inside the train.[2][9]
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.[6][10] Iranian authorities have denied any physical confrontation took place and claim she fainted due to low blood pressure.[2][9]
Security camera footage from the metro station shows Geravand entering the train without a headscarf along with two other girls. Moments later, she is carried off the train unconscious by her friends.[2] Iran's state media claims this footage proves their narrative but does not show the events inside the train car leading up to Geravand's coma.[6] An analysis from Amnesty International's evidence laboratory alleges that the video was sped up in multiple sections and that, based on time stamps, there is a gap of 3 minutes and 16 seconds in the footage.[11]
Aftermath
Geravand's friends who took her to the hospital were under arrest for three days.[12] Geravand's mother[12][13] and a journalist for the daily newspaper Shargh who was interviewing her were arrested.[6] The intensive care unit of the hospital where Geravand was taken was guarded by security agents.[6]
On 22 October, Iran's state media announced Geravand was declared brain dead after being in a coma for several weeks.[3] On 28 October, Geravand was declared dead.[4]
The incident has drawn comparisons to that of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died under suspicious circumstances on 16 September 2022 while in the custody of the morality police.[2] Amini's death sparked nationwide protests across Iran.[3][14][15] In response to the protests, the regime has cracked down on activism and tightened hijab laws.[6] The Geravand case has drawn international criticism and calls for an independent investigation.[2][6][11] Iran's government has dismissed international criticism, calling it "interventionist".[16]
References
- ^ a b c Willinger, Katharina (4 October 2023). "Mädchen im Iran im Koma: Ein neuer Fall Amini?" [Girl in a coma in Iran: A new Amini case?]. Tagesschau (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Daniel Arkin (5 October 2023). "An Iranian girl is hospitalized, fueling new outrage at the morality police". NBCNews.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "Iranian teenager Armita Geravand is 'brain dead': state media". Reuters. 22 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Iranian teenager Armita Geravand dies after alleged confrontation, IRNA reports". Reuters. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Farzad Saifikaran (24 October 2023). "آرمیتا گراوند، دختری که نمیخواست قضاوت شود" [Armita Geravand, the girl who didn't want to be judged]. BBC News فارسی (in Persian). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Farnaz Fassihi (5 October 2023). "With Iranian Girl in Coma, Suspicion Falls on Government". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Iran: Teen Armita Geravand 'brain dead' after hijab incident". DW News. 22 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Solmaz Iker (5 October 2023). "چرا افکار عمومی روایت جمهوری اسلامی درباره آرمیتا را باور نمیکند؟" [Why does the public opinion not believe the narrative of the Islamic Republic about Armita?]. IranWire.com (in Persian). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b Wintour, Patrick; Parent, Deepa (5 October 2023). "Iran urged to release full CCTV of what led to teenage girl's coma". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Salem, Mostafa; Rebane, Teele; Akbarzai, Sahar; Karadsheh, Jomana (4 October 2023). "Iranian activists accuse morality police of assault after teenage girl hospitalized". CNN. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Armita Garawand: Independent investigation into schoolgirl's critical injuries needed amid mounting evidence of a cover up in Iran". Amnesty International. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b "The mother of Armita Geravand has been arrested". NCRI Women's Committee. Women's News. Paris, France: National Council of Resistance of Iran. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Rights group says mother of Armita Geravand arrested in Iran - X platform". Reuters. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Shoura Hashemi (11 April 2023). "How The Jina Revolution In Iran Is Like No Other Movement In Islamic Republic". Outlook. New Delhi. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Amberin Zaman (15 September 2023). "A year since Mahsa Amini's killing, Iran's Kurds brace for renewed crackdown". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "واکنشهای بینالمللی به وضعیت آرمیتا گراوند در بیمارستان؛ ایران خواستار "عدم مداخله" شد" [international reactions to the situation of Armita Geravand in the hospital; Iran demanded "non-interference".]. رادیو فردا (in Persian). 5 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.