An Iranian student who stripped down to her underwear as a sign of protest against the harassment of the Revolutionary Guards police was arrested in Tehran, activist groups reported via social networks, the Agence France-Presse reported today.
The girl, whose identity has not been revealed, a student of the prestigious Azad University in Tehran, was harassed by members of the Basij militia, activists said. In protest, she took off her clothes in front of the university and started walking the streets in her underwear, one video shows.
The video was first published on the student portal Amir Kabir and was later transmitted on numerous Persian websites, including the legal site-Dadban, the group for the defense of human rights Hengav and the information site Iran Wire.
The video was apparently recorded by the tenants of the neighboring building. Other videos show the girl being put into the car by men in civilian clothes. According to the Amir Kabir portal, she was beaten during the arrest.
Amnesty Iran, the section of Amnesty International, wrote on the Ix network that the Iranian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release her, and that the allegations of beatings and sexual violence against the girl should be investigated in an independent and impartial investigation.
Iran's Fars news agency reported on the incident and published a blurred picture of the student. According to the agency, the girl was wearing "inappropriate" clothes in class and "undressed" when the police drew her attention to it.
Iranian Islamic law imposes a very strict dress code for women, who must wear headscarves and loose clothing that does not outline the body. According to the Fars agency, which refers to "witnesses", the police officers spoke "calmly" with the girl and did not act aggressively.
Iranian women are behind the protest movement launched in the country after the death of a young girl, Mahsa Amini, in September 2022, while she was in custody after being arrested for not complying with the dress code. Iranian authorities violently suppressed the protests, and according to non-governmental organizations, at least 551 people were killed and thousands were arrested.
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