Artemis Pebdani Instagram – RP @centerforhumanrights We are profoundly saddened to report the passing of 16-year-old Armita Geravand, after she slipped into a coma following a reported assault by forced-hijab enforcers in the Tehran metro.
Armita’s untimely death, from a brain injury, has left unanswered questions.
According to eyewitness accounts reported in the media, she was attacked by enforcers of the state’s mandatory hijab law. Notably, moments before the incident, Armita was observed without a hijab.
It is deeply concerning that Armita, who was carried unconscious out of the metro car, was transported to a military hospital and kept in strict isolation by Iranian authorities.
We ask why the journalist who tried to investigate Armita’s case was initially detained?
Equally puzzling is the appearance of Armita’s family on state media, where at one point, an unidentified woman spoke on their behalf, aligning with the state’s narrative that Armita’s death was due to natural causes.
Additionally, the release of edited footage by the Islamic Republic’s government, which only reveals the train’s exterior while omitting the interior, deepens the enigma rather than providing clarity.
Armita’s voice has been forever silenced, preventing us from hearing her story. Yet we do know that in a climate where Iranian authorities severely penalize women and girls for not adhering to the state’s forced-hijab law, Armita courageously appeared in public without one.
By doing so, she stood in solidarity with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which was sparked by the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini in state custody, a mere three days after she was detained for an alleged hijab violation.
Given the lack of transparency from Iranian authorities regarding Armita’s death, we urgently call upon the independent UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to conduct a thorough investigation into this case, and underscore an urgent imperative:
As long as the Iranian government enforces its draconian mandatory hijab law, the lives of girls and women in Iran will hang in the balance, vulnerable to severe rights violations, including violence and even death.
#ArmitaGeravand #Iran
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ŪŲŖŲ§_ŚÆŲ±Ų§ŁŁŲÆ | Posted on 28/Oct/2023 22:37:37
