Iranian woman detained after shedding clothes on Tehran campus

Iranian authorities detained a young woman who was seen walking around a university in Tehran in her underwear, and while little is known about her whereabouts or condition, Amnesty International is demanding she “immediately and unconditionally” be released from custody.

The unidentified young woman was filmed removing her clothes before sitting and walking around in nothing more than a bra, underwear and flat shoes outside the prestigious Islamic Azad University, an apparent protest to the country’s strict dress code.

In the video, other students and onlookers, dressed in the state-mandated hijab and modest clothing, look on.

The student media outlet Amir Kabir reported the woman was likely protesting after she’d been harassed on campus that day by a volunteer paramilitary force member for not wearing a headscarf.

Under Iran’s mandatory dress code, women must wear a headscarf and loose-fitting clothes in public.

After she walked out into the street in her underwear, a second video showed her being put into a car by men in plainclothes. Amir Kabir reported she’d been beaten during the arrest and information about where the woman was taken was not available.

“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 Iran wrote on social media about the troubling arrest.

“Pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture and other ill-treatment and ensure access to family and lawyer.”

Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported the woman had been taken to a police station, but many are still concerned for her safety.

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The United Nations’ special Rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato, said in a post on X on Saturday that she would be “monitoring this incident closely, including the authorities response.”

A spokesperson for the university, Seyed Amir Mahjob, said the student had been taken to a psychiatric hospital after being detained and that an investigation into her motivations was underway.

In a post Saturday on X, Mahjob rejected the suggestions that the student had protested the dress code and questioned her mental state.

The wearing of a hijab (or headscarf) in public is mandatory for women under Iran’s strict interpretation of Islamic law that is enforced by the country’s so-called morality police.

Iranian women can be subjected to harsh punishment, even for minor infractions.

In 2022, a woman being detained by the morality police for improperly wearing her headscarf died in police custody. Mahsa Amini’s death sparked protests worldwide and hundreds were killed in the Iranian authorities’ violent crackdown on protests in the country.

To this day, many Iranian women continue to protest by removing their head coverings in public, although it comes with risks.

Last month, the U.S., Canada and Australia hit a group of Iranian officials with sanctions for their participation in suppressing protests and detaining people in relation to the death of Amini.

In March, a United Nations fact-finding mission determined that Iran is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of Amini. It also found that the Islamic Republic employed “unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force” to put down the demonstrations that erupted following Amini’s death and that Iranian security forces sexually assaulted detainees.