Contributor
Prominent activists and human rights advocates have condemned Iranian authorities for labeling a young female student from Tehran's Azad University as mentally ill after she stripped in apparent protest at an assault by security forces over her clothing.
Footage circulated widely on Saturday showing the woman in her underwear on campus, with officers seen taking her into custody by force. A university official said the student had been sent to a police station for “severe psychological distress,” mirroring claims from media linked to the IRGC that she had mental health issues.
"This student appeared in class wearing inappropriate clothing," the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-linked Fars News agency reported at the time.
"After being reminded by university security to follow dress code regulations on campus, she undressed and walked around the university grounds without clothing," it added, denying that she had faced any violence.
Amir Kabir Newsletter, a student group on Telegram which has covered student dissent for years, reported she had disrobed after being harassed and beaten for not wearing a headscarf.
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi condemned Iranian authorities on Monday for gaslighting the student, whose identity remains unknown and whom Iran International was unable to reach.
"Labeling protesters as mentally ill is the regime’s longstanding method for suppressing dissent," Ebadi said on Instagram, adding that such tactics are used to silence opposition. "If the protesting student at Azad University was 'ill,' why was she arrested? Is the security apparatus responsible for citizens' medical care?"
Iranian activist Azam Jangravi shared a personal account of how similar pressures affected her during her imprisonment for anti-hijab protests.
"My family was pressured to declare me mentally ill, even being taken to a forensic doctor … My family didn’t do it, but many families under pressure do, thinking it’s the best way to protect their loved ones. This is how the Islamic Republic tries to discredit women by questioning their mental health," she said in a post on Instagram.
Shima Babaei, an exiled activist and recipient of the 2023 Women’s Rights Award of the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, shared her experience: "When I removed my headscarf in the street and was imprisoned, I heard sarcastic remarks: You are part of a project, you are crazy, and you just want attention."
Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist, Masih Alinejad, also highlighted the Iranian government's repeated use of mental health accusations to undermine female protesters.
Recalling past experiences, Alinejad said: "In 2014, when I launched the My Stealthy Freedom campaign against compulsory hijab, the regime claimed I had a mental breakdown and used fabricated stories to discredit me."
Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently detained in Tehran's Evin Prison, also expressed solidarity with the student and denounced the authorities' actions.
"The regime cannot force protesting women, who have made their bodies symbols of dissent and defiance against misogyny and tyranny, into retreat by labeling them as 'mentally unstable,' 'sexually deviant,' or 'misled.'"
The incident and the subsequent labeling of the student have drawn widespread criticism and underscored the ongoing struggle of Iranian women against the enforcement of compulsory hijab laws.
Calls for her release and demands to stop the suppression of women's rights have resonated across social media and rights groups.
The International Federation of Journalists on Monday condemned Iran for arresting the student, who is being identified by Iranian media reports as Ahou Daryaei," saying the girl "protested against the country's draconian dress code by stripping to her underwear."
The IFJ also called on the Iranian government to "urgently review its systemic attempts to trample women's rights and violate freedom of expression, and to release all prisoners including all journalists."
As the student’s identity remains unconfirmed and no updates have followed her arrest, activists have expressed concern for her well-being in custody.
