Woman strips to her underwear at Iran university in apparent protest

A female astatine an Iranian assemblage stripped down to her underwear successful an evident enactment of protestation aft assemblage information forces reportedly violently stopped her for not wearing a headscarf.

Video of nan incident connected Saturday shows an undressed female sitting by a staircase successful an outdoor area of a branch of Tehran's Islamic Azad University. It later shows nan female stepping connected nan sidewalk and crossing nan thoroughfare earlier being surrounded by information forces and seemingly pushed into a car.

Not wearing a hijab is an discourtesy punishable based connected nan Iranian regime's Sharia-based law. The rule is supervised by a task unit known arsenic nan morality police, which patrols astir cities. In universities, students are monitored for nan mandatory hijab by information forces based wrong colleges.

The female was initially taken to a constabulary position and past transferred to a psychiatric center, according to nan Telegram transmission for nan Iranian newspaper Farhikhtegan. A spokesperson for nan assemblage said nan "real motive" of nan enactment is still nether investigation, Farhikhtegan reported.

This still from a video shows a female protesting successful her underwear sitting by nan staircases successful a branch of nan Islamic Azad University successful Tehran, Iran, Nov. 3, 2024.

Reuters

The Islamic Republic of Iran has a history of taking protesters to psychiatric centers, claiming their acts of guidance are owed to their unstable intelligence health.

The video of nan woman, who has not officially been identified, has circulated wide connected societal media arsenic of Sunday, pinch group calling for answers astir what happened to nan woman. Many group and activists are praising her for her "courage" and "resistance," sharing nan video pinch nan hashtag "Woman, Life, Freedom," a motto for women's authorities successful Iran.

Objecting to nan regime's determination to return nan female to a psychiatric clinic, 1 relationship connected X posted that nan female "is not insane," writing: "The woman is not insane. She had nary limb to defy isolated from for her body."

Amnesty International has called connected authorities to instantly merchandise nan woman, and successful a post connected X urged that "pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture and different ill-treatment" and guarantee she is capable to interaction her family and a lawyer.

"Allegations of beatings and intersexual unit against her during apprehension request independent and impartial investigations," nan quality authorities nongovernmental statement added. "Those responsible must held to account."

Mai Sato, United Nations typical rapporteur connected nan Islamic Republic of Iran, posted connected her X account that she will beryllium monitoring nan incident closely, including really authorities respond to it.

A increasing number of Iranian women person been pushing backmost against laws requiring headscarves since nan deadly nationwide protests successful September 2022.

The protests followed nan tragic decease of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish female who was taken into morality constabulary custody for allegedly not afloat complying pinch hijab rules. The 22-year-old Kurdish woman's decease successful constabulary custody triggered Iran's longest anti-government protests since nan 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Human authorities groups say much than 500 group were killed successful those demonstrations and, according to nan Islamic Republic News Agency, complete 20,000 group were arrested.

Amini became a awesome of guidance that sparked nan "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, prompting protests and rallying each generations and sexes to nan streets fighting to beryllium free from a convulsive regime.