An unidentified Iranian women has been arrested by authorities after she stripped to her underwear in protest of the country’s strict dress code.
The woman, believed to be a student at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University, was reportedly harassed by members of the Basij paramilitary force for not wearing a headscarf.
According to a newsletter published by Amirkabir, a student media outlet, Basij members and the university’s security tore at the woman’s clothing.
Footage posted to social media show the woman stripping down to her underwear and walking out on to the street. Another video appears to show the woman being forced into a car by unidentified men.
“She was subjected to severe physical abuse (a reliable source confirmed that the student’s head hit the car door or a column, causing heavy bleeding, and blood stains were seen on the vehicle’s tire),” the Amirkabir Newsletter wrote on social media. “She was forced into a silver Pride hatchback (model 111) and taken to an undisclosed location. Information regarding her general condition, whereabouts, and treatment is currently unavailable.”
In Iran, the strict dress code mandates that all women wear a headscarf and loose-fitting clothes in public.
The incident was reported by several Persian-language news outlets, including Iran’s conservative Fars news agency, who claimed that the young student had worn “inappropriate clothes” and had “stripped” after being told by security guards to comply with the oppressive dress code.
The Fars report claimed that “witnesses” saw security guards speaking “calmly” with the student and denied reports that their management of the incident had been aggressive.
Amnesty International Iran has called on authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release the woman, calling for an “independent and impartial” investigation into the allegations of abuse.
“Iran’s authorities must immediately and unconditionally release the university student who was violently arrested after she removed her clothes in protest against abusive enforcement of compulsory veiling by security officials,” it said on social media.
“Pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture and other ill-treatment and ensure access to family and lawyer.”
It’s been more than two years since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, the young woman who died after being arrested and beaten by Iran’s morality police for not wearing a hijab properly. Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests which spread across the world.
The protests were violently crushed by authorities, leading to the deaths of more than 500 people. Since Amini’s death, the Iranian government has continued to impose harsher new measures to enforce women to follow the mandatory wearing of the hijab, including the installation of cameras across a number of public places to identify and catch women who violate the country’s extremist dress code.