Armita in Hospital | Reactions to the 'Malicious Censorship Machine' of the Islamic Republic; Germany: Young Woman is Fighting for Her Life

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reacted to reports about the condition of Armita Garavand. In a part of a statement published on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Baerbock wrote, "A young woman in Iran is once again fighting for her life. Just because she showed her hair in the metro. This is unbearable." She also seemed to respond to the Islamic Republic's news agency, IRNA, which conducted a video interview with Armita Garavand's parents, which activists described as coerced and part of the government's efforts to present its narrative of the incident. Baerbock stated that they should not be in front of the camera; they have the right to be by their daughter's bedside. Armita Garavand's parents spoke briefly about their daughter's fainting on camera on Tuesday, October 3. Armita's mother said in the video, "I think they said her blood pressure had dropped or something... she fell and hit her head on the edge of the metro," while her father emphasized that Armita's friends were with her and said, "We checked the cameras; I don't know if the girls were standing one in front and one behind her." Last year, Mahsa Amini also found herself in a similar situation after being confronted by the so-called 'Guidance Patrol' of the police over her hijab. Mahsa's death led to widespread protests both inside and outside Iran and resulted in international condemnations of the Islamic Republic. Iranian officials filed legal cases against journalists who covered news related to Mahsa Amini. Regarding Armita Garavand, Iranian officials have also imposed restrictions on journalists. On Tuesday, a journalist from Shargh newspaper who went to the hospital to report on Armita Garavand was arrested and reportedly released on bail after a few hours. Sherif Mansour, the Middle East and North Africa coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, stated in a statement that the organization "is following with concern the situation in Iran and reports of the beating of a teenage girl solely for not wearing the government-approved hijab. This news recalls last year's events and the tragic fate of Mahsa Amini and her death at the hands of government agents. We urge Iranian officials not to restart their malicious censorship machine by arresting and harassing journalists covering this important incident." Hannah Neumann, a German representative in the European Parliament, also commented on Armita Garavand's situation, saying, "Another young woman has fallen into a coma due to not adhering to the hijab. Another journalist was threatened for reporting on this. Another family member was arrested for speaking about it." She, who has reacted strongly to the crackdown on protests following Mahsa Amini's death in Iran, questioned Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, asking how many more similar actions the Islamic Republic must take before the EU's policy towards Iran is "revised." Earlier, Maryam Shakirani, a journalist from Shargh, posted on X on Tuesday that Maryam Lotfi, a journalist who was arrested for trying to report on Armita Garavand's situation, was "released on bail." Armita Garavand, born in February 2007, is a 16-year-old student in the 11th grade at the state vocational school "Oruvat al-Thaqi" in District 11 of Tehran, who fainted while returning from school on October 1 at the "Shahada Tehran" metro station and was hospitalized at Fajr Hospital, affiliated with the Army Medical University. So far, many details about how this incident occurred for Armita Garavand have not been published by official Iranian media, except for a few short and edited videos from some metro cameras. Some reports indicate that before Armita was transferred to the hospital, government agents pushed her in the Tehran metro over her hijab, causing her head to hit a pole. Simultaneously, a human rights organization has called for an independent international investigation into Armita Garavand's case, stating that without it, "the cover-up of another crime and the evasion of its perpetrators from responsibility will happen again." The Iran Human Rights Organization announced on Wednesday, October 4, that it demands an independent international investigation into the events that led to Armita Garavand's injury due to the "violent confrontation of agents enforcing mandatory hijab" in the Tehran metro. The organization also added, "Since the Islamic Republic has a long history of denying events and covering up the crimes of its agents," the initiation of this investigation is "essential to examine the details of this incident." Abram Pili, the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, stated on October 1, "The punitive law on mandatory hijab in Iran is a step backward for women's rights, human rights, and religious freedom. This law reflects the Iranian government's determination to suppress freedom and women's rights." The "Chastity and Hijab" bill, which prepares extensive criminalization against women and opponents of mandatory hijab, is currently awaiting the Guardian Council's opinion after being approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Restrictions on journalists reporting on Armita Garavand's situation come at a time when Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who had come to New York, told international media that his government is not afraid of informing the public.