Unbelievable courage and a strong political act. An Iranian student was filmed walking around in her underwear on the campus of a Tehran university before being arrested on Saturday, November 2. The images of this young woman, whose identity has not been confirmed, made the rounds on social networks and were the subject of numerous reactions, in particular from several NGOs, including Amnesty International.
This new arrest comes almost two years after the death, on November 16, 2022, of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd arrested by the moral police for non-compliance with the dress code, which had triggered a vast protest movement. throughout the country. Franceinfo summarizes what we know about this arrest, the echo of which resonates well beyond the country's borders.
A young woman in her underwear arrested in the street
The video posted by student website Amir Kabir shows a young woman walking on the campus of Azad University in the Iranian capital. She is only wearing panties and a bra. The video does not show how or why the young woman finds herself in this outfit. According to Amir Kabir, she was harassed by members of the Basij paramilitary force, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, who criticized her for inappropriate clothing, in this case the way she wore the veil. They then allegedly manhandled her and tore off her clothes.
As a protest, the young woman undressed, according to the student site. She then wandered around campus in her underwear with her arms crossed for a few minutes, the video shows, before being forcefully taken into a car by four members of the country's security forces. The Iranian student site mentions an injury during his arrest.
In a message on the social network X, the Iranian branch of the NGO Amnesty International simply stated that the student had been arrested for “having taken off her clothes as a sign of protest against the abusive application of the compulsory wearing of the veil”. The organization calls for his release “immediately and unconditionally”. “The allegations of beatings and sexual violence against him during his arrest must be the subject of an independent and impartial investigation”she adds.
The university defends itself by questioning the mental health of the student
Amir Mahjoub, general director of public relations at Azad University, discussed the incident in a series of posts on X. He confirms that“after the indecent act of one of the students of the University of Research Sciences, the university security intervened and handed her over to the police station. The motivation and reasons for this student's action are in investigation course”. He states that after a medical examination, the young woman “was under severe mental pressure and suffered from mental disorders”. The student was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, according to information from the Amir Kabir website.
The manager also shared a video on X of a man, his face blurred, presented as the young woman's husband. He asks that the student's video no longer be shared. “She is the mother of two children and they cannot live without her”he declares before bursting into tears, without Franceinfo being able to establish in what context this video was made.
The official Iranian agency Fars, which also reported the scene, ensures that the young woman was wearing clothes “inappropriate” in class and “get out” after being called to order. According to “witnesses” quoted by Fars, the agents spoke “calmly” at the young woman and did not act aggressively. Iranian Islamic law imposes a very strict dress code on women, who must wear headscarves and loose clothing that conceals their shapes.
A wave of reactions to support the student
This arrest sparked numerous reactions of support and indignation. “Today, everyone is behind this young woman and claims the political and collective dimension of her act”analysis for France 2 Chowra Makareni, anthropologist specializing in Iranian society.
In France, many personalities have defended this student. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon welcomed, on the social network “a nameless courage, head held high and hair blowing in the wind in the face of obscurantism”. The president of the National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, spoke to him about “unbelievable courage”.
Senator LR Valérie Boyer and Renew MEP Nathalie Loiseau shared the same drawing of this young woman in underwear breaking a wall. “If courage had a name, it would be Ahou Daryaei”assures the first, taking up one of the identities which leaked, without being able to confirm it. “Like many others, I admire his courage. But I also understand his despair”advance the second.
For her part, Sandrine Rousseau also shared another drawing representing the student in a bra and panties. Green MP expresses her support “to Iranian women, to Afghan women, to all those who suffer oppression. Our body, and everything we put – or not – to clothe it, belongs to us”.
Personalities from the cultural world such as the comedian Sophia Aram, the essayist Rachel Khan and the writer Kamel Daoud also showed their support. The first greeted “l’immense courage” of the student “facing the Islamic dictatorship”Who “will go down in history”. The second paid tribute to “this force which illuminates our cowardice”. Finally, the winner of the Goncourt 2024 prize simply shared a photo of the young woman on campus.
