In a defiant stand against harassment, a female student was arrested on Saturday after carrying out a solo protest outside her university in Tehran, reports indicate. The woman, whose name remains undisclosed, bravely stripped down to her underwear at the Tehran Azad University of Science and Research, a prominent academic institution. This bold move followed a disturbing incident in which she was reportedly harassed by members of the Basij militia, who forcefully tore off her headscarf and damaged her clothing, as noted by various news sources and social media platforms outside of Iran.

The student's act of defiance didn’t end there. After the attack, she sat down in protest right outside the university, wearing nothing but her underwear. She then courageously walked onto the street, capturing the attention and astonishment of onlookers. Videos of the protest have since been shared widely on social media, showcasing her solitary yet impactful demonstration.

Iran's strict dress code laws mandate that women must wear headscarves and loose-fitting clothing that covers the entire body, leaving no room for bodily contours to be visible in public spaces. Her protest openly challenged these enforced norms, and the incident has stirred significant debate online and within various human rights circles.

The footage, initially shared by Amir Kabir, a student social media channel, quickly went viral and was picked up by multiple Persian-language outlets. Among them were the Dadban legal affairs social media channel, the Hengaw rights organization, and the Iran Wire news site. The videos seem to have been filmed by bystanders in a neighboring building, providing a clear yet harrowing view of her protest. In another video, the woman is seen being forcefully apprehended by men in plain clothes, who bundled her into a car and drove her to an unknown destination.

The Amir Kabir newsletter claimed that the female student was subjected to physical violence during her arrest. According to the outlet, the woman was beaten while being taken into custody. The details of this alleged assault, however, could not be independently verified, and the situation remains unclear.

In a conflicting narrative, Iran’s conservative Fars news agency acknowledged that the incident did take place. The agency published a report on the protest, including a photograph of the student, although the image was so heavily blurred that the identity and specific details were obscured. The Fars news agency characterized the situation differently, emphasizing that the student had violated the dress code by wearing what it described as "inappropriate clothes" while attending class. It added that she "stripped" only after being instructed by security guards to adhere to the mandatory dress regulations.

Adding to this contrasting account, Fars cited unnamed "witnesses" who claimed that the security personnel had spoken "calmly" with the student. The agency strongly denied any accusations of aggressive or forceful behavior on the part of the guards, attempting to paint a less confrontational picture of how the situation unfolded. Despite these claims, the reality of the student's experience and the extent of the actions taken against her remain subjects of intense scrutiny, with many questioning the official account provided.

‘Cry from the heart’

The Amir Kabir newsletter continues to emphasize the gravity of the incident, alleging that the female student was subjected to violent treatment during her arrest. Reports state she was beaten, raising serious concerns about the nature of the enforcement by Iranian authorities.

Amnesty International, a global human rights organization based in London, has stepped forward to address the situation. The group has issued a strong demand: “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.” Amnesty further insisted that while the student remains in custody, “authorities must protect her from torture and other ill-treatment and ensure access to family and lawyer.” The organization called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the “allegations of beatings and sexual violence against her during arrest.”

Meanwhile, the conservative Fars news agency in Iran verified the event, though it presented a distinctly different narrative. It confirmed the protest in a published report, including a heavily blurred-out photograph of the student. According to Fars, the issue began because the student had worn “inappropriate clothes” in class and only “stripped” after being told by security guards to follow the mandated dress code.

This incident has reignited painful memories of the near-nationwide protests that swept across Iran in 2022. The protests erupted after Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman, died in police custody, accused of violating the strict dress code. Those demonstrations became a symbol of defiance, with women courageously removing their headscarves, and some even setting them on fire. The government's crackdown was severe, leaving 551 protesters dead and thousands more detained, ultimately suppressing the uprising.

Support for the detained student has emerged from prominent figures. Actress Katayoun Riahi, who was an outspoken supporter during the protests, expressed her solidarity on Instagram, writing: “We must not leave each other to stand alone.” Her post resonated with many, highlighting the ongoing struggles faced by women in Iran. Additionally, well-known Iranian activist Hossein Ronaghi, who had himself been imprisoned during the previous protests, praised the student’s courage. In a post on X, he described her act as a “cry from the bottom of the heart against the oppression that has taken the life out of people, especially women.”

Fa IRAN @FaIranism, an account on X platform posted more details regarding the matter, "

A female student from the Islamic Azad University of Science and Research in Tehran fell into a coma today at noon after being tortured by security guards. All students and professors from state, private, and medical universities across the country have declared that they will not attend classes on Monday, November 5, 2024, and will instead hold a sit-in on campus to protest the torture of this student and to voice against the violence of the guards and stringent laws. On Saturday, November 3, 2024, security guards confronted this female student upon her entry to the university because she was not wearing a mask. During this confrontation, her clothes were torn. In protest of the guards' violence, she removed her torn clothes and told the guards, "You can't do anything wrong to me." The guards forcibly put her in a car, and according to eyewitnesses, her head bled profusely after hitting a pillar or car door. Unfortunately, she fell into a coma on the way to detention and was transferred to a hospital. The student's family, after being informed, went to the university and inquired about their daughter's whereabouts but have received no response so far.

@PierrePoilievre @JustinTrudeau @CBCNews"

And in subsequent post he wrote, testimonial of a witness, "

: An eyewitness testimonial

"Today, around noon, in front of the entrance of Faculty Block 1, we saw a girl being grabbed by a mercenary Basij member for no reason and being taken away by force. I quickly went to see what was happening. I saw she wasn't wearing a face mask. I realized it was for her. Within seconds, they reached the security booth at the entrance, where a female and a male security guard, both despicable, grabbed her and were about to savagely throw her into the security room. The girl resisted, and her clothes (a hoodie-like garment) were torn off her body. This means her clothes were ripped and fell off. Underneath the hoodie, she was only wearing underwear. This shocked the security guards themselves, and they let her go... Out of anger, she threw her pants at them too, saying, 'Here, these are yours too!' We couldn't help because she went outside the building. In the end, three mercenaries, looking like Iraqis or Lebanese (mercenaries posing as university students from Iraq and Lebanon), and one security guard took her and brutally threw her into a silver hatchback Pride (111) Tehran plate car, which was theirs. They opened the door, threw her in, and put her in the back seat. Then they came back and took her clothes. This girl really had no fault except for being a girl." A victom of Islamic Public."