Another 'Girl of Revolution Street' Beaten and Detained

Some social media users have reported a severe confrontation between a plainclothes officer and a girl protesting against compulsory hijab named 'Hamraz Sadeghi', which resulted in her arm being broken and her detention. On Saturday, she had removed her headscarf at the intersection of Somayeh and Sepahbod Gharani in Tehran. Eyewitnesses reported the detention of a girl named 'Hamraz Sadeghi' who was standing on a telecommunications box with her headscarf in hand at the intersection of Somayeh and Sepahbod Gharani in Tehran. The first to report this was Komail Boudaghi, who described the severe encounter with a 'religiously dressed' plainclothes officer, stating that the girl was slammed to the ground from the telecommunications box, resulting in a broken forearm. This eyewitness noted that his attempts to protest this incident were in vain, and the injured girl was detained in the presence of law enforcement. This incident has gained significant attention on social media, with users referring to it as another example of 'violence' against another 'Girl of Revolution'. The news of Hamraz Sadeghi's detention and injury comes at a time when some social media users have reported the deteriorating condition of Maryam Shari'atmadari, another 'Girl of Revolution', who is in the general ward of Qarchak Varamin prison. Journalist Zhila Baniyaghoub tweeted that Maryam Shari'atmadari, who was thrown from an electric post due to a severe encounter with law enforcement, has sustained serious injuries to her leg, has undergone surgery, and 'requires immediate medical attention', but officials are reportedly ignoring this issue. The newspaper 'Shargh' reported that she is a student at Amir Kabir University and, according to her friends, was transferred to prison after being detained and having her knee stitched. Meanwhile, according to Fars News Agency, Salman Samani, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, stated after the release of a video showing a law enforcement officer's encounter with Ms. Shari'atmadari that 'the law enforcement agency, as a judicial authority, is responsible for dealing with obvious crimes'. According to the Ministry of Interior spokesman, law enforcement must take necessary actions 'according to the law' to 'preserve evidence of the crime and prevent the escape or hiding of the suspect' and must inform the prosecutor of 'results and evidence' after necessary investigations. In recent days, several women protesting against compulsory hijab have also been detained. One of them is Shaparak Shajareh-zadeh, who was arrested on Wednesday after protesting against compulsory hijab on Qeytarieh Street and, according to her family, was beaten during detention. On February 23, law enforcement announced that 'the law provides for up to two months of imprisonment for being without hijab in public places'. The announcement stated that 'encouraging people to be without hijab falls under the second clause of Article 639 of the Islamic Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of one to ten years and is not convertible to an alternative punishment'. The provisions of the Islamic Penal Code that law enforcement referred to relate to 'encouraging corruption and prostitution', and there is no term in this law that refers to 'encouraging the absence of hijab'. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje'i, the spokesman for the judiciary, on Sunday responded to a reporter's question regarding the recent statements of Tehran police about a ten-year prison sentence for 'Girls of Revolution', stating that 'the determination of the crime applicable to the accused is up to the judge, and it must be seen what the investigator or judge thinks about this matter'. Mr. Eje'i had previously stated that women who have removed their headscarves in protest against compulsory hijab are either 'unaware and regretful' or are individuals who 'have consumed industrial substances', and some have acted 'under guidance'. According to ILNA news agency, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also referred to the issue of the Girls of Revolution on Sunday, deeming it not a significant problem and stating that this issue should not be overly publicized. Mr. Motahari added that there is currently no problem with hijab, and according to him, women will not cooperate with 'this group'. Mr. Motahari claimed that 'women today appear in society as they wish, and there is no obligation for hijab'. The spontaneous movement against compulsory hijab, known as the 'Girls of Revolution', began a few days before the protests in December. So far, dozens of women in Tehran and other cities in Iran have shown their protest against compulsory hijab by removing their headscarves in public spaces, and several have been detained. Human Rights Watch has issued a statement calling for the cessation of legal action against women protesting compulsory hijab. In this statement, referring to the detention of at least three women protesters in the past three weeks, the enforcement of compulsory hijab regulations on women is described as a violation of freedom of expression, religion, thought, and personal privacy.