Iranian security officials are reportedly exerting significant pressure on the family of Armita Garavand to change the date of a memorial ceremony for the teen, who died over the weekend due to injuries suffered in an alleged confrontation with Tehran's morality police.
A source from the Garavand family told RFERL’s Radio Farda on October 31 that while the family intends to commemorate their daughter on November 2 -- a Thursday, as is customary in Iranian Islamic culture -- they are being pushed to move the ceremony because security authorities fear large crowds will gather if there is more time to plan.
The family, the source said, is "deeply distressed" and firmly opposes any change to the date.
The situation highlights the intense scrutiny and pressure grieving families who have lost loved ones during a crackdown by law enforcement over the past year face when trying to come to grips with their loss.
Rights groups and journalists say 17-year-old Garavand and two of her friends were confronted on October 1 by officers for not wearing the mandatory hijab as they tried to enter a Tehran subway station.
One of the friends has said the officers physically assaulted Garavand, who later fell unconscious after entering a train carriage. Officials have said Garavand suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure, fainted, and fell to the floor, hitting her head.
A source at Fajr Hospital, who spoke to Radio Farda on condition of anonymity while Garavand was still alive, said shortly after the incident that the student suffered internal bleeding in the brain. She succumbed to her injuries on October 28.
Garavand's case, and suggestions of a cover-up by the authorities, has drawn parallels with the events leading up to the death of Mahsa Amini.
Protests sparked by Amini's death in September 2022 led to renewed pressure against students, specifically female students who refused to comply with the hijab law. The 22-year-old was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation when she died days after being detained.