Iran says girl who collapsed on Tehran metro is ‘brain dead’
A teenage Iranian girl who fell into a coma after an alleged altercation with morality police is now considered to be "brain dead", state media say.
Armita Geravand, aged 16, collapsed shortly after boarding a Tehran metro train on October 1. While activists alleged that morality police had assaulted her for not wearing a hijab, authorities maintained that she had fainted. As of now, there is no immediate update on Armita's condition from her parents or activists.
Armita is currently receiving treatment at Tehran's Fajr Hospital under tight security. Many Iranians have drawn comparisons to the case of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in custody in September 2022 after being detained by morality police in Tehran for purportedly wearing her hijab "improperly." Witnesses claimed she was subjected to violence by officers, while authorities attributed her death to pre-existing medical conditions.
In the aftermath of Mahsa Amini's death, anti-government protests erupted across the country and continue to occur. Hundreds of people have been killed, and thousands have been detained in a forceful crackdown by security forces.
The CCTV footage released by Iranian authorities shows Armita Geravand, with her hair uncovered, boarding a train at Tehran's Shohada station, accompanied by two other girls. Moments later, one of the girls leaves the train and crouches down. Subsequently, Armita is seen being carried by several passengers, with her unconscious state, and placed on the platform. No footage from inside the train or the station's entrance has been made available.
Human rights group Hengaw, which focuses on Iran's Kurdish ethnic minority, alleged that Armita was "physically attacked by authorities for not complying with the compulsory 'hijab'" and suffered severe injuries as a result. However, the managing director of the Tehran metro denied any "verbal or physical conflict" between Armita and passengers or metro staff.
Hengaw later posted a photo on social media, claiming it was Armita unconscious in the hospital. The picture showed a girl lying on her back in a bed with a bandaged head and attached to what appeared to be a breathing tube.
Recently, state broadcaster IRINN reported that "follow-ups on the latest health condition of Armita Geravand indicate that her health condition as brain dead seems certain despite the efforts of the medical staff." Eight days earlier, Hengaw had reported that the teenager remained in a coma with no signs of improvement.
In a separate development, a Revolutionary Court on Sunday handed lengthy prison sentences to two female journalists who had reported on Mahsa Amini's death last year. Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were sentenced to seven and six years in prison, respectively, on charges of "collaborating with the hostile American government" and "colluding against national security," according to state news agency Irna. Both women denied the charges, asserting that they were merely performing their journalistic duties.
Ms. Hamedi, a journalist with the Sharq newspaper, had taken a photograph of Mahsa Amini's father and grandmother embracing in the hospital upon learning of her death. She shared it on Twitter with the caption: "The black dress of mourning has become our national flag." Ms. Mohammadi, a reporter with the Hammihan newspaper, had covered Ms. Amini's funeral in her hometown of Saqqez and described how hundreds of mourners chanted "Woman, life, freedom," which became a prominent slogan of the protests.
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