Who is the young Iranian woman arrested for undressing at university in protest against wearing the veil?

Several organizations and activists are demanding that Iranian authorities release a young woman arrested after undressing in front of a university obviously to protest against being forced to wear the veil.

The moment when the student walking around the university campus was captured in a series of videos that have circulated widely on social media in recent days.

The student who demonstrated in her underwear in front of the science and research section of Tehran’s Azad Islamic University has been identified as Ahoo Daryaei as described by local media.

In images published last Saturday, November 2, we can see that the young woman was sitting on the steps of the faculty. Shortly after, he stopped and began walking calmly on the sidewalk to the astonished looks of several people passing by.

In another recording captured by witnesses, the woman appeared to remove her underwear and was quickly surrounded by security forces, after which she was pushed into a vehicle.

From Azad University, they assured that Ahoo is “under great mental pressure” and that he suffers from “a mental health disorder”.

According to the Iranian newspaper Farhikhtegan, She was first transferred to a police station and then admitted to a psychiatric center. Further details about his fate are not yet known.

According to sources, The telegraph , The student allegedly had an altercation with the security forces within the faculty because she was not wearing the veil, also called hijab.

“They reached the security building near the entrance, where a security guard and a guard grabbed her and tried to force her into the office,” sources said.

After that, the young Iranian woman resisted and decided to undress on the spot and then go and sit outside the campus.

A Telegram channel of the Amirkabir newsletter was the first to report what happened with Ahoo, says the BBC . On this platform, it was also revealed that she hit part of the vehicle while being detained by security forces, which ended up causing her to bleed.

After the videos were released, some Iranian users linked the action to “Woman, life and liberty” .

This is a movement that seeks to promote women’s rights in Iran and was strengthened in 2022, when Mahsa Amini a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd was arrested for inappropriately wearing the veil and died in police custody. The protests following Amini’s death are estimated to have left more than 500 people dead.

The arrest of the Iranian woman sparked backlash from various organizations and activists.

Mai Sato UN special rapporteur for Iran, stressed on his social networks that would monitor “this incident closely, including the response of the authorities”.

From International amnesty They demanded that the Iranian authorities “They must immediately and unconditionally release to the student » .

“While awaiting her release, the authorities must protect her from torture and other ill-treatment and guarantee her access to her family and a lawyer. The allegations of beatings and sexual violence against her during her arrest require independent and impartial investigations,” they added in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter).

While Narges Mohammadi an Iranian human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner and currently imprisoned, also called for the woman’s freedom. “Women pay the price of rebellion, but we do not bow to force,” she said in her forums.

In Iran, all women, including girls, must wear a headscarf that covers all of their hair, without leaving a strand visible. Failure to do so is considered a crime under the Iranian regime’s legislation.

A group known as morality police present in all cities, is responsible for ensuring compliance with these laws and can arrest those who violate the dress code.

Typically, this group is made up of male agents who travel in a van and hang out in busy places, like squares or shopping malls. Although they generally focus on wearing the hijab, arrests can also be made if they consider a woman to be wearing very short clothes, tight pants or wearing makeup.

The Islamic Republic has sought to intensify the application of these measures. In 2023, Parliament approved a bill that toughens sanctions against women who do not wear headscarves in public places, punishable by sentences of up to 10 years in prison, fines of up to $2,000 and the inability to access banking services.