In a tragic turn of events, 16-year-old Iranian Armita Geravand, who was allegedly involved in a confrontation with the morality police over her choice to not wear the mandatory headscarf, has been reported as “brain dead.” This heart-wrenching incident unfolded during a fateful subway ride in Tehran earlier this month, where the young teenager suffered severe brain injuries following an encounter with the country’s morality police.

The ordeal began when Geravand, a resident of the Iranian capital, was riding the Tehran subway without wearing the obligatory headscarf. It’s an incident that raises questions about personal freedoms in a country with strict dress code regulations. Unfortunately, the consequences of her choice were dire, and she fell into a coma that persisted for nearly three weeks. The incident echoes another tragic event from the previous year when Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police after they confronted her for not wearing a headscarf in public. Amini’s death sparked a wave of women’s rights protests in Iran, and Geravand’s case is reminiscent of the tragic events that unfolded back then.

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As Geravand lay in a coma, the official explanation provided by authorities was that she had fainted due to low blood pressure. However, human rights activists and concerned individuals have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident. They believe that Geravand had a physical confrontation with the morality police, which ultimately led to her severe injuries and subsequent coma.

Armita Geravand’s case has earned the moniker “the new Mahsa Amini,” signifying the disturbing pattern of such incidents involving young women in Iran. The international community has also condemned this tragedy, with the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock describing the incident as “unbearable.”

While Iranian authorities have denied any physical altercations with Geravand, there are allegations that her family has faced public threats and intimidation. Furthermore, the Kurdish activist group Hangaw has reported the arrest of Geravand’s mother, adding to the concerns surrounding this case. Despite the growing attention and international outcry, the Iranian government has maintained that this incident is an “internal affair.”