Security guards tear clothes Student arrested in her underwear in Iran

In Iran, a student has reportedly stripped down to her underwear in protest after a confrontation with law enforcement officers. According to the human rights organization Hengaw, the incident took place at the private Asad University in the capital Tehran.

According to the report, the security staff on campus had previously torn her clothes after an argument. A video circulated on social media showing the young woman pacing up and down in her bra and underpants with her arms crossed.

Strict dress codes apply in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which are increasingly being aggressively ignored by the younger generation. Compliance with them is also monitored by so-called morality watchdogs. Since the nationwide protests in autumn 2022, many women in the major cities have been resisting the headscarf requirement, for example. A case like this, in which a woman undresses down to her underwear, was previously unknown.

Pro-government media speak of "psychological problems"

Pro-government media reported that the university's security service had handed the student over to the police. They rejected the account on social media and spoke of the young woman's "psychological problems". The incident is being investigated, they added. Her privacy must be respected. The human rights organization Amnesty International called for her immediate release.

Iran's notorious morality watchdogs stepped up their patrols in major cities at the beginning of the year. There were several reports of violence against women and girls who resisted the controls, as well as arrests. The new, conservative-moderate President Massud Peseshkian had promised to tackle this issue during the election campaign. According to critics, however, the course of the police has hardly changed so far. The headscarf requirement is considered one of the ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic.

SDA