Controversy Surrounds Hospitalization of Teenage Girl in Iran Amid Allegations of Assault

Hospitalization and Protests: Unraveling the Teenage Girl Case in Iran

On Wednesday, activists alleged that the morality police in Iran had attacked a teenage girl at a Tehran metro station because she was not wearing a headscarf. This incident resulted in her hospitalization with severe injuries. However, Iranian authorities and the girl’s parents maintained that her hospitalization was due to low blood pressure.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a group based in Norway focused on Kurdish rights, reported that Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old, had been “assaulted” by the morality police and had been in a coma since Sunday. Another opposition network, IranWire, claimed to have information indicating that Geravand had been admitted to the hospital with “head trauma.”

According to Awyer Shekhi, a staff member at Hengaw, the altercation occurred when female morality police officers approached Geravand before she reached the Shohada metro station. They asked her to adjust her hijab, which led to a physical confrontation, during which Armita was pushed, resulting in her collapse.

Shekhi further explained, ‘Subsequent to this confrontation, she managed to board the metro but later collapsed.'”

Reporter was unable to independently verify the information reported by Hengaw and Iranwire, both of which have previously extensively covered protests in Iran.

The CEO of the Tehran metro, however, informed state media that there was no documented physical or verbal interaction between Geravand and any members of his staff. Masoud Dorosti, the managing director of the Tehran metro, stated, “Based on our investigation, after reviewing the CCTV footage from the moment she entered the station and boarded the train, there is no evidence of any verbal or physical altercation involving the passengers or our staff. The video recordings do not show any such incidents.

In a video shared on the state-affiliated Fars News Agency’s X (formerly Twitter) account, a group of girls is observed entering the metro train. It is not possible for us to ascertain the identity of Geravand in the video.

Among the girls accompanying Geravand, some appeared not to be wearing headscarves. Subsequently, the video shows a group of girls carrying Geravand out of the metro train and placing her on the metro platform as the train departs from the station. Notably, the edited video posted on state media does not depict any altercation. We are unable to verify its authenticity.

During an interview with state media, Geravand’s parents explained that their daughter seemed to have struck her head after fainting due to low blood pressure while she was en route to school. According to them, the videos they viewed did not display any indications that Geravand had been assaulted.

“I believe they mentioned that she experienced a drop in blood pressure or fell to the floor… her head may have hit the edge of the metro, and then her friends assisted her off the train,” stated her mother, Shahin Ahmadi.

“We reviewed the security cameras. She went inside… I’m not entirely sure… one of the girls was ahead of her, and another was behind her. She boarded the train and then collapsed… I’m uncertain about what exactly happened… whether she lost consciousness… she fainted… they helped her out and called for emergency assistance. Subsequently, she was transported to the hospital,” explained her father, Ahmad Geravand.

It remains unclear whether Geravand’s family was compelled to speak to state media. In the past, United Nations human rights officials and advocacy groups have accused Iranian authorities of exerting pressure on families of deceased protesters to make statements aligning with the government’s narrative.

The teenager is presently receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Tehran, as reported by Fars News Agency. However, IranWire has released a separate statement on Wednesday, indicating that she is being treated at Fajr Air Force Hospital.

Iran witnessed a wave of protests in the wake of the case of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died while in custody after being arrested by Iran’s morality police the previous year, allegedly for improperly wearing her hijab. Amini’s tragic death led to nationwide protests.

In these months-long protests, the United Nations reported that over 300 individuals lost their lives, including more than 40 children. In January, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) raised the death toll to over 500, with 70 children among them. Thousands of individuals were arrested across the country, according to a UN report from June, which cited research conducted by their Human Rights Committee released the previous year.

A journalist from the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily was detained at Fajr Air Force Hospital while attempting to report on Geravand’s condition on Tuesday, as per a post made by Shargh Daily on X (formerly Twitter). The reporter, Maryam Lotfi, has since been released, as reported by the outlet.

By: M Z Hossain, Editor Sky Buzz Feed