A young Iranian woman was forcibly dragged away by authorities after defying the authoritarian regime’s draconian Sharia Law dress code by walking around in public in just her bra and underwear.
The young woman has been identified as Ahou Daryaei, a student at the Science and Research branch of Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
In Iran, a student harassed by her university’s morality police over her “improper” hijab didn’t back down. She turned her body into a protest, stripping to her underwear and marching through campus—defying a regime that constantly controls women’s bodies. Her act is a powerful… pic.twitter.com/76ekxSK7bI
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) November 2, 2024
Leading Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad broke the story, revealing that Daryaei had been dragged away by Iranian authorities and was allegedly admitted to a mental health hospital because authorities claim she had been suffering from a psychological illness. Alinejad then noted that this “accusation of mental instability is a familiar tactic by the Islamic Republic” to use against women who dare to defy Sharia Law — adding that this was the same tactic used against her in 2014 when she launched a protest organization against compulsory hijab.
“In 2014, when I launched the My Stealthy Freedom campaign against compulsory hijab, the regime used similar lies against me, claiming I had a mental breakdown, undressed myself on the London subway and was raped by three men. This is how they attempt to undermine those who resist their oppression,” Alinejad explained.
The Iranian dissident spoke to one of the woman’s classmates at the school who witnessed the incident, who revealed that Daryaei had originally been wearing a hoodie and pants, and school security officials had attempted to drag her into the security room because she was not wearing a “proper hijab.” She then lost the hoodie in a struggle and proceeded to remove her pants and walk through the campus in protest.
Alinejad quoted her as saying: “On Saturday, November 2, we saw the university’s security and Basij forces trying to forcibly drag a female student into the security room, under the pretext of her not wearing a proper hijab. She resisted, and in the struggle, her hoodie was pulled off, leaving her with only her undergarments underneath. Shocked, the security officers let her go, after which, in a moment of rage, she removed her pants and threw them at the officers.”
Update:
The authorities in Iran are now claiming that a young woman, who courageously removed her clothes in protest against harassment by the morality, police at her university, suffers from psychological illness and has been admitted to a mental health hospital.This… pic.twitter.com/wynDFQiSpy
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) November 3, 2024
Reporter Babak Taghvaee added more context to the story in a post on X, revealing that Daryaei had been “studying French Literature (PhD) in Oloom Tahghighat University,” and has since been “imprisoned” in the psychiatric hospital “where many political prisoners are kept for punishment.”
#BREAKING: The student protester is identified as #AhouDaryaei. She is studying French Literature (PhD) in Oloom Tahghighat University. #IRGC has imprisoned her in "Iran" Psychiatric hospital near #Tehran where many political prisoners are kept for punishment.#دختر_علوم_تحقیقات pic.twitter.com/dkGAKsW6JO
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) November 2, 2024
Taghvaee also shared footage of Daryaei being forcibly taken away by authorities:
Update and Correction: This occured in the Oloom Tahghighat (Science and Research) university of #Tehran. The security forces of the #Iran's Islamic Regime who kidnapped her were members of the #IRGC Intelligence. This video shows the moment of her arrest: pic.twitter.com/9Fj2ry9YWd
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) November 2, 2024
