Iran

Classmates Of Hospitalized Iranian Teen Reportedly Under Pressure, Mother Detained

A screen shot of CCTV footage from Tehran's subway showing a girl being carried off a train by other girls and placed on the platform.

An Iranian labor group says teachers and classmates of Armita Garavand, a high-school student reportedly in a coma after being assaulted by morality police for not wearing the mandatory head scarf, are being pressured and threatened by security authorities for commenting on the situation surrounding the 16-year-old.

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 physically assaulted Garavand, who later fell unconscious after entering a subway carriage.

A source at the Fajr Air Force Hospital, who spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda on condition of anonymity due to security reasons, said Garavand had suffered internal bleeding in the brain and was in critical condition.

The Hengaw human rights group said on October 5 that Garavand's mother, Shahin Ahmadi, has been detained by Iranian government security forces.

SEE ALSO: Iranian Girl's Hospitalization After Subway Incident Draws Parallels With Mahsa Amini's Case

A post on X, formerly Twitter, by the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations on October 5 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 this student [Garavand]."

The security head "emphasized that publishing any news or even photos of Armita Garavand through Internet pages by teachers of this student will results in a heavy fine and the teacher will be fired immediately."

It 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 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.