A female student at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University stripped to her underwear on campus after university security personnel harassed her and tore her clothing for not wearing a headscarf. University officials later claimed she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
Social media users now call her the "Science and Research Girl," after Tehran's Science and Research Campus, where the incident occurred. Known for its scenic mountainous location, this unit of the Islamic Azad University has become the focal point of a protest that sparked widespread attention online.
The young woman’s protest involved removing her clothes completely after security forces tore them during the confrontation. Shortly afterward, security agents violently arrested her.
Videos circulating online, taken on Saturday, show a young woman in her undergarments near the Science and Research Campus entrance. The footage reveals that university security harassed her, which led to her clothes being torn and prompted her to strip in protest.
In other videos, the woman is seen sitting and walking while two security officers—one female—stand nearby, appearing to make phone calls.
A few minutes later, a second video shows her near the campus exit, where a small hatchback, an uncommon vehicle for security use, arrives. Several men and women wearing chadors surround her and force her into the car. Many online have likened her detention to "kidnapping."
According to the Amir Kabir Newsletter Telegram channel, a source confirmed that during the struggle, her head hit a car door or post, causing her to bleed, with visible blood stains on the car tyres.
University and Government Responses
As public concern grew over her arrest, university officials claimed that she was suffering from "mental issues." Pro-government Fars News reported that she had attended class in "inappropriate clothing" and undressed only after being asked to comply with campus dress codes.
Amir Mahjoub, the university’s public relations manager, claimed that police medical teams found her "under severe mental stress" and noted she had "psychological issues." He also added that she was a mother of two and a divorcee, dealing with personal difficulties.
A social media account, Taraneh, released the student's initials, A.D., asserting that "no assault took place." Though the tweet was later deleted, screenshots circulated widely, especially on accounts close to the government. Pro-government newspaper Farhikhtegan reposted this version, attributing it to a classmate’s perspective.
In response, Amir Mahjoub alleged that the student had filmed her classmates and teacher and "committed an indecent act" when confronted. He later posted a video featuring a tearful man in a green hoodie asking people not to share footage of the incident, claiming she is the mother of two with “mental health challenges.”
However, social media users argue that the Taraneh account has a history of spreading similar stories, suggesting it might be part of government propaganda.
Support for the 'Science and Research Girl'
Despite conflicting narratives, support for the "Science and Research Girl" has been strong.
Actress Katayoun Riahi, a prominent supporter of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, shared a post expressing solidarity, while lawyer Maryam Kian Arsi offered to represent the student pro bono.
Civil rights activist Hossein Ronaghi also praised her courage on social media, calling it a flame that would ultimately "burn the roots of oppression."
Roya Hashemati, who received 74 lashes for posting photos without a headscarf, also expressed solidarity with the student on Instagram.
An Act of Defiance
Social activist Asieh Amini noted that while acts of resistance against mandatory hijab have become common, the specifics of this case reveal an especially painful form of protest.
Amini explained that for this student, her body became her only tool of resistance: “There comes a time when your headscarf alone isn’t enough, and the only thing left to resist with is your body,” she said.
Amini likened the defiance to self-harm, adding that stripping in a setting where campus security entrapped her was a form of self-sacrifice.
The student’s condition and whereabouts remain unknown, raising concern, especially given the fate of Roya Zakeri, known as the "Tabriz Girl," who, during Woman, Life, Freedom protests, was detained after chanting “Death to Khamenei.” According to human rights activists, Zakeri was subsequently subjected to cycles of psychiatric hospitalization and Revolutionary Court hearings.
Source:
Iran Wire, Staff, November 4, 2024
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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