Iranian woman strips clothes in protest after being assaulted for improperly wearing hijab - report
University officials claimed that the woman was suffering from "severe mental pressure and had a mental disorder."
The young woman who stripped in protest after allegedly being assaulted for improperly wearing a hijab. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
Tehran’s security forces arrested an Iranian woman for stripping off her clothes in protest after she was allegedly assaulted for improperly wearing her hijab, in violation of Tehran’s strict modesty laws, according to international media reports and footage from Saturday.
The young woman was assaulted by security forces at Tehran's Islamic Azad University, according to Iran International.
A university official later confirmed her arrest.
"Following an indecent act by a student at the Science and Research Branch of the university, campus security intervened and handed the individual over to law enforcement authorities," Amir Mahjoub, Director General of Public Relations at Islamic Azad University, wrote on X/Twitter. "The motives and underlying reasons for the student's actions are currently under investigation."
Iranian women watch the practice session of Iran's national soccer team from behind the railings as they banned from entering the stadium at Azadi (freedom) sport complex in Tehran, Iran May 21, 2006 (credit: MORTEZA NIKOUBAZI/ REUTERS)
Mahjob later stated on X that "at the police station,...it was found that she was under severe mental pressure and had a mental disorder".
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Iran International, citing an Iranian student group, reported that the student had been harassed by security forces for not wearing her hijab.
The security forces reportedly tore her clothes, and the interaction left the student bloodied. Student groups shared mixed reports as to how she was wounded, with some claiming that the forces smashed her head into a nearby car or pillar.
Messages of support
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, author, and women's rights activist who the IRGC attempted to assassinate, commented on X, “In Iran, a student harassed by her university’s morality police over her 'improper' hijab didn’t back down. She turned her body into a protest, stripping to her underwear and marching through campus—defying a regime that constantly controls women’s bodies. Her act is a powerful reminder of Iranian women’s fight for freedom. Yes we use our bodies like weapons to fight back a regime that kills women for showing their hair.
Tofautisha mwanamke na Mshangazi