(Paris) – Germany and the United States on Wednesday expressed concern about an Iranian teenager who was allegedly the victim of an altercation with security forces on the Tehran metro and has since fallen into a coma.
“In Iran, a young woman is once again fighting for her life. Just because you can see her hair on the subway. This is unbearable,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on X, previously on Twitter.
For his part, the US special envoy to Iran, Abram Bali, confirmed
“We are monitoring the evolution of his health condition. We continue to support the brave Iranian people and work with the world to hold the regime accountable for its violations,” Bali added.
According to the Norway-based non-governmental organization Henjau, the 16-year-old girl, Armita Garawand, was seriously injured during an altercation on the subway with members of the moral police.
This issue was the subject of many discussions on social media, where a video clip was circulated that, according to some, showed the young girl, apparently not wearing a hijab, being pushed into the subway by police officers. The inanimate body is then taken away.
The girl is originally from the city of Kermanshah, in western Iran, which has a Kurdish majority, and the girl lives in Tehran, according to Hengaw.
Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Norway, called for an “independent international investigation,” accusing Tehran of having a “long history of distorting the facts and concealing evidence of its crimes.”
Its director, Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, said, “The Islamic Republic continues to harass and oppress women under the pretext of combating violations of the mandatory hijab.”
According to this non-governmental organization, the student is receiving treatment at Al-Fajr Hospital in Tehran, in a unit subject to strict security measures.
She posted a photo of Armita Garaund in her hospital bed, connected to a stomach tube, with her head and neck covered in bandages.
Henghao said his parents were interviewed by Iranian state media at the hospital “under great pressure” and “in the presence of high-ranking security officers.”
