The woman’s identity remains unknown (Image: X)
The young Iranian woman, who went viral on social media after a video showed her removing her clothes in protest against harassment by Iran’s morality police, is reportedly being held at an unknown location. The incident happened two days ago at Tehran‘s Islamic Azad University. Footage shared on social media showed her being bundled into a car by men in plain clothes and driven away.
The woman, whose identity remains unknown, was reportedly harassed by members of the Basij paramilitary group, who allegedly tore off her headscarf and clothing, according to reports by international news sources.
The University’s public relations director Amir Mahjob posted on X stating that the student, a mother of two who is separated from her husband, “had a mental disorder”. A local newspaper, Farhikhtegan, also reported that she had been admitted to a mental health facility.
Two days later, her location remains unknown, with Amnesty International’s Iran chapter calling for her immediate release. “Authorities must protect her from torture and other ill-treatment, and ensure access to family and lawyer. Allegations of beatings and sexual violence against her during arrest need independent and impartial investigations,” the organisation demanded.
Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran, wrote on X that she would be “monitoring this incident closely, including the authorities’ response”.
In Iran, women are legally required to wear a headscarf and loose-fitting clothing in public. Violations of these rules led to the arrest of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in 2022, who later died in custody.
Her death sparked mass protests where women removed and burned headscarves in defiance. Among those detained was Iranian actress Hengameh Ghaziani, who took off her hijab on Instagram in solidarity with the protest.
The government’s crackdown resulted in the deaths of over 500 protesters.
Iran’s morality police, known as Gasht-e-Ershad, was created in 2006 to enforce veiling laws established in the 1980s. They patrol public spaces and increasingly monitor schools and universities, scrutinising women’s clothing.
Since then, women have continued to protest these laws by wearing tighter clothing or showing their hair in public and on social media.
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