The family and doctors of Armita Garavand, an Iranian high school student who is in a coma after reportedly being assaulted by the morality police for not wearing the mandatory hijab, have rejected media reports that her condition has deteriorated and the 16-year-old is "likely brain dead."
Two sources close to Garavand, quoting medical sources at Tehran's Fajr Hospital, rejected the October 22 reports about her "brain death" and said that the family still "hopes for her return."
A member of Garavand's family added that the doctors treating her said reports of her brain death "are not true," though in the current situation there is no further medical help they can provide and that "everything is in God's hands."
The Borna state news agency, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Sports and Youth, quoted sources on October 22 as saying Garavand’s “health condition is not promising and despite the efforts of medical staff, the brain death of Armita Garavand seems certain.”
SEE ALSO: Iranian Girl's Hospitalization After Subway Incident Draws Parallels With Mahsa Amini's CaseBorna's report could not be independently verified.
Rights groups and journalists say Garavand and two of her friends were confronted on October 1 by police officers for not wearing the mandatory hijab as they tried to enter a Tehran subway station. The officers allegedly physically assaulted Garavand, who later fell unconscious after entering a train carriage.
A source at Fajr Hospital, who spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda on condition of anonymity due to security reasons, said Garavand suffered internal bleeding in the brain and was in critical condition.
The Hengaw human rights group, which first reported the incident, said on October 5 that Garavand's mother, Shahin Ahmadi, has been detained by Iranian government security forces.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have reportedly been pressuring students at Garavand’s school to avoid talking about what happened, especially with the media.
An October 5 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations said the head of security of the General Directorate of Education in Tehran had visited Garavand's school and threatened teachers and pupils "against giving out any information about the condition of [Garavand]."
The security head "emphasized that publishing any news or even photos of Armita Garavand through Internet pages by teachers of this student will result in a heavy fine and the teacher will be fired immediately."
SEE ALSO: 'Naked' And Defiant: Diary Of An Iranian ProtesterIt added that a "reliable source" said the two friends who accompanied Garavand on the day of the incident are "under intense pressure not only to refrain from divulging any information about Armita's condition, but are also being put in front of the cameras of official news agencies and having to deny any incident" took place.
Garavand’s case, and suggestions of a cover-up by the authorities, has drawn parallels with the events leading up to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini last year. Amini’s death soon after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab law triggered months of antiestablishment protests.
Last week, Amini and the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran that was triggered by her death were awarded this year's Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament’s top rights award, the second honor bestowed upon Iranian women this month for their sometimes deadly struggle for human rights after activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize.