Iranian teenager Armita Garawand died after a month in a coma

Iranian teenager Armita Garawand, who was left in a coma after a controversial incident in the Tehran subway, died this Saturday after a month in hospital, according to local media.

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"Armita Garawand, a student from Tehran, died after intensive medical treatment and 28 days of hospitalization in the special care unit," announced the Borna press agency, dependent on the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The young woman, 17 years old and originally from a Kurdish region, had been hospitalized in the Fajr hospital in Tehran since October 1, after fainting in the capital's subway. The circumstances of the incident remain disputed. According to several NGOs, The teenager was seriously injured as a result of an "assault" at the hands of members of the morality police, in charge of monitoring the obligation of Iranian women to cover their heads with a veil in public.

The authorities, however, stated that the teenager suffered a "tension drop" and they denied any "verbal or physical altercation" between her and the passengers or officials of the Tehran metro. On Saturday, the local Tasnim agency cited medical sources stating that the young woman "suffered a fall that caused a brain injury, followed by continuous seizures, a decrease in brain oxygenation and brain edema."

The case occurred just over a year after the death in police custody, on September 16, 2022, of Mahsa Amini. The young woman, 22 years old and of Kurdish origin, had been detained for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed on women in Iran. Her death in detention sparked a widespread protest movement in the country that left hundreds dead, including members of the security forces, and led to the arrest of thousands of people.

The reformist newspaper Ham Mihan asked the authorities to allow "independent media" to investigate what happened, to "convince public opinion." Deputy Ahmad Alirezabeigui considered on Wednesday that Parliament "must intervene" and "question the Minister of the Interior" about the case, which he described as "important."

For his part, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated on October 8 that the authorities had "investigated" the incident and that the situation had become "very clear."

"The enemies do not want the country to be calm, and they always try to turn any incident into controversy," the minister said on that occasion.

dmr