Armita Geravand: Iran teenage girl dies one month after Tehran Metro headscarf incident that sparked outrage

An Iranian teenage girl has died a month after being injured in an incident on a Tehran Metro train, the country’s state-run media has reported.

Armita Geravand,16, had earlier been declared brain dead after being injured in what human rights groups said was an altercation with officials of Iran’s morality police for not wearing a head scarf properly.

Her injury from the incident had raised questions over what unfolded inside the train coach on the metro station from where her limp body was seen being dragged by her friends following the alleged altercation.

While police said Armita suffered blood pressure issues, activists have accused the morality police of assaulting the teenager for not wearing a hijab properly.

“Unfortunately, the brain damage to the victim caused her to spend some time in a coma and she died a few minutes ago,” said a report on Saturday by state-run news agency IRNA.

“According to the official theory of Armita Geravand doctors, after a sudden drop in blood pressure, she suffered a fall, a brain injury, followed by continuous convulsions, decreased cerebral oxygenation and a cerebral edema,” it further said.

Armita’s death comes a little over a year after the one-year anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who died in custody in September 2022 after being detained by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.

Witnesses alleged Amini was beaten by officers, but authorities attributed her death to pre-existing medical conditions.

Amini’s death had galvanised unprecedented and widespread protests in the country that strictly enforces hijab laws.

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