University officials said the woman was “under a lot of mental stress and had a mental health condition.”
The young woman removed her clothes in protest after reportedly being attacked for not properly wearing her hijab. Security forces in Tehran arrested an Iranian woman who stripped off her clothes in protest after allegedly being assaulted for not wearing her hijab correctly, which goes against Tehran’s strict modesty rules, according to reports and video footage from Saturday.
The woman was reportedly attacked by security forces at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University, as reported by Iran International.
A university official later confirmed her arrest, stating, “Following an inappropriate act by a student at the university’s Science and Research Branch, campus security intervened and handed her over to the police,” said Amir Mahjoub, the university’s Director of Public Relations, on X (formerly Twitter). He added that the student’s reasons for her actions were still being looked into.
Iran International, quoting a student group, reported that security forces harassed the student for not wearing her hijab. The group claimed the forces tore her clothes, leaving her injured. Some students said the forces slammed her head into a nearby car or wall.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist, 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—challenging a regime that constantly controls women’s bodies. Her act is a strong reminder of Iranian women’s fight for freedom. Yes, we use our bodies like weapons to fight back against a regime that kills women for showing their hair.”
Amnesty International’s Iran division urged Iran’s government to immediately release the university student who was arrested for protesting the forced hijab rules at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University. They demanded that the student be protected from torture and given access to her family and lawyer and called for an investigation into reported abuse.
Tehran’s strict dress laws have received heavy criticism, especially after several people accused of breaking them died in police custody. One example is Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman whose death in custody in 2022 led to protests worldwide.
