(Paris) Germany and the United States expressed concern on Wednesday about an Iranian teenager who was allegedly the victim of an altercation with security forces in the Tehran metro and has since been in a coma.
“In Iran, a young woman is once again fighting for her life. Just because you could see her hair on the subway. This is intolerable,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
For his part, the American special envoy for Iran Abram Paley affirmed on
“We are monitoring the evolution of his state of health. We continue to support the courageous people of Iran and work with the world to hold the regime accountable for its abuses,” Paley added.
According to the NGO Hengaw, based in Norway, the 16-year-old girl, Armita Garawand, was seriously injured during an altercation in the metro with female members of the moral police.
This case was the subject of numerous discussions on social networks, a video circulated showing, according to some, the young girl, apparently unveiled, being pushed into the metro by police officers. An inanimate body is then taken away.
Originally from the city of Kermanshah, in predominantly Kurdish western Iran, the girl lives in Tehran, according to Hengaw.
The NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), headquartered in Norway, called for “an independent international investigation” accusing Tehran of having “a long history of distorting facts and hiding evidence of its crimes”.
“The Islamic Republic continues to harass and repress women under the pretext of combating violations of the compulsory hijab,” said its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
According to this NGO, the student is being treated at Fajr hospital in Tehran, in a unit placed under high security.
She posted a photo of Armita Garawand in her hospital bed, connected to a gastric tube, her head and neck covered in bandages.
His parents gave an interview to Iranian state media at the hospital “under considerable pressure” and “in the presence of high-ranking security officers,” Hengaw said.