Amnesty International: Mandatory Hijab is a Tool for 'Widespread and Systematic' Violation of Women's and Girls' Rights in Iran

Amnesty International expressed anger and sorrow over the death of 16-year-old Armita Garavand due to the enforcement of 'humiliating and degrading mandatory hijab laws' and called for the release of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer, and all those detained during the funeral of this teenager. In a statement on social media on Monday, November 8, the organization criticized the mandatory hijab in Iran as a tool for 'widespread and systematic violations of women's and girls' human rights.' Iranian state media reported on November 6 that Armita Garavand died after several weeks in a coma. According to the statement, this teenage student was reportedly attacked by an agent enforcing 'humiliating mandatory hijab laws' at the 'Shahada Square' metro station in Tehran on the morning of October 1, 1402, and became unconscious due to the injuries sustained. Amnesty International's statement noted that Iranian authorities spent four weeks launching a coordinated campaign to 'deny and distort the truth' about the circumstances leading to Armita Garavand's death. They then arrested mourners at the funeral to silence any calls for truth and justice. The organization also called for the immediate release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all individuals who were 'arbitrarily detained' for peacefully attending Armita Garavand's funeral on November 7 in Tehran. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions recently condemned the 'murder' of Armita Garavand for not wearing the mandatory hijab and criticized the Islamic Republic's security crackdown and media censorship in response to this event. Amnesty International reiterated its call for the international community to demand that Iranian authorities allow a fact-finding committee and other independent UN experts to visit the country and investigate the circumstances leading to Armita Garavand's hospitalization, coma, and death. The organization also urged countries worldwide to hold Iranian officials accountable for 'ordering, planning, and systematically violating the human rights of women and girls' through the enforcement of mandatory hijab laws. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of the Iranian judiciary, on Monday, November 8, a day after Armita Garavand's burial, accused opponents of mandatory hijab of 'playing into the enemy's hands' and again called for action against them. Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, stated on November 7 in two consecutive posts on social media platform 'X' that Armita Garavand's death makes the U.S. more 'determined' to hold the Islamic Republic accountable. He wrote: 'I was deeply saddened to learn that Armita Garavand died after being beaten by the morality police for being unveiled in public. The state-sponsored violence against its own people in Iran is horrific and underscores the regime's fragility.' In part of its statement, Amnesty International called for justice for all those responsible for the injuries inflicted on Armita Garavand.