what we know about the arrest of a student who took off her clothes in the street in Tehran

The young woman, whose identity is not known, was thrown into a car by men in plain clothes during her arrest. His fate remains uncertain.

A heroic act. On Saturday, November 2, videos showing the arrest of an Iranian student who took off her clothes in the street in Tehran as a sign of protest against the harassment of Revolutionary Guard militiamen went viral.

Since then, numerous organizations and political leaders have called for the release of the young woman, whose fate is currently unknown.

• What happened?

The young woman, whose identity has not been revealed, is a student at Azad University in Tehran who was harassed by members of the Basij militia, according to activist groups on social media. In protest, she stripped naked in front of the university and walked the streets in her underwear.

First posted by the Iranian student site Amir Kabir, the video was published by numerous Iranian sites including the legal site Dadban, the human rights group Hengaw and the news site Iran Wire.

The video appears to have been taken by residents of a nearby building. Other images show the young woman thrown into a car by men in plain clothes. According to the Amir Kabir website, she was beaten during the arrest.

• What are the reactions in Iran?

The Iranian Fars agency reported the incident and published a blurred photo of the student. According to the agency, the young woman wore “inappropriate” clothing to class and “stripped off” after being warned by security officers.

According to this same source, citing “witnesses”, the agents spoke “calmly” to the young woman and did not act aggressively.

As spotted by Franceinfo, Amir Mahjoub, general director of public relations at Azad University, discussed the situation via his X account. This justifies the security intervention by “the indecent act of one of the students.” “The motivation and reasons for this student’s action are currently being investigated,” he said.

The BBC explains for its part that the young woman was taken to a “psychiatric hospital” because, according to her university, she suffered from a “mental disorder.” Many Iranians, still on social networks, have widely questioned this version.

Amir Mahjoub also published the video of a man with a blurred face, presented as the husband of the student, who demands an end to the broadcast of the sequence of his wife's arrest. “She is the mother of two children and they cannot live without her,” he said, his voice filled with sobs.

• What are the international reactions?

As soon as this arrest was announced, numerous associations called for the release of the young woman. “The Iranian authorities must release (her) immediately and unconditionally,” wrote the Iranian branch of Amnesty International.

“The allegations of beatings and sexual violence against him during his arrest must be the subject of an independent and impartial investigation,” adds the organization.

For her part, the United Nations special rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato, published the video on X and wrote that she was “closely monitoring this incident, including the response of the authorities” in Iran.

The head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot highlighted this Tuesday the “courage” of the young Iranian woman. “I salute the courage of this young woman who is showing resistance and has risen to the rank of icon for the fight of women in Iran, for the fight of women wherever their rights are threatened,” he said. declared on France 2.

“Our embassy in Iran is monitoring its situation very carefully and reporting to us hour by hour,” he added without giving further details.

• Iranian society in crisis

Islamic law in Iran imposes a very strict dress code on women, who are required to wear headscarves and loose clothing that conceals their shapes.

Iranian women are at the origin of an unprecedented revolt movement in the country after the death of the young Kurd Mahsa Amini in September 2022, arrested for not having respected the dress code.

The Femme Vie Liberté movement has been massively repressed by the Iranian authorities, with at least 551 deaths and thousands of people arrested, according to NGOs.