Iran student who went viral for stripping in public is ‘receiving treatment’
The woman went viral on social media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A student who stripped to her underwear at a university in Iran is ‘receiving treatment’, a government spokesperson has said.
The young woman undressed on Saturday at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, an act that was widely perceived on social media as a protest against Iran’s strict Islamic dress code.
The student sustained injuries after being physically assaulted during her arrest, Iran International reported, citing a newsletter by the student group Amir Kabir newsletter.
“Instead of viewing this issue under a security lens, we are rather looking at it with a social lens and seek to solve the problems of this student as a troubled individual,” government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday in the first official reaction to the event.
She said that the young woman had been transferred from a police station to a treatment centre, but did not say what treatment she would receive.
“It is yet too soon to speak of this student’s return to university. According to a video published by her husband, she needs treatment and that needs to be completed before taking the next steps,” Mohajerani added on the government’s website.
The woman was detained by security guards at the university. A university spokesperson, Amir Mahjob, said on X on Saturday “at the police station, ... it was found that she was under severe mental pressure and had a mental disorder.”
Growing numbers of Iranian women have defied authorities by discarding their veils after nationwide protests that followed the death in September 2022 of a young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini. She died while in the custody of the morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules. Security forces violently put down the revolt.
The non-official Khabaronline website reported that the government spokesperson said the young woman was not facing any criminal charges.
Amnesty International said on X a young woman was “violently arrested on 2 Nov after she removed her clothes in protest against abusive enforcement of compulsory veiling by security officials at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University” and called for her immediate release.
On Monday, the semi-official, hardline Tasnim news agency said those reacting on social media were “the same anti-Iran movement which jumped on the Mahsa Amini affair in 2022”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments