Broadcast of 'Forced Confessions' from Armita Garavand's Parents; 'Plainclothes Forces' Have Surrounded Fajr Hospital

The release of statements from Armita Garavand's parents in front of a government media camera has sparked widespread reactions on social media, with users comparing this incident to the killing of Mahsa Amini. Armita Garavand, a girl who fainted in the Tehran metro, is reportedly hospitalized and in a coma. On Tuesday, October 3, her mother and father spoke briefly about their daughter's fainting in front of the Islamic Republic News Agency camera, and some social media users have interpreted this video as 'forced confessions.' Armita's mother states in the video, 'I think they said her pressure dropped or something... she fell and hit her head on the edge of the metro,' while her father emphasizes that Armita's friends were with her, saying, 'We checked the cameras; I don't know, now the girls were standing one in front of her and one behind her.' Users on social media have reacted to the broadcast of these statements, and according to some citizens, plainclothes forces have been stationed around Fajr Hospital, where Armita Garavand is hospitalized. Journalist Hediyeh Kimiaei stated, 'Armita Garavand is a girl who, like Mahsa, was beaten by agents due to her hijab and has fallen into a coma, and in this situation, her parents were brought in front of the camera to prove that the issue was not about hijab, but evidence suggests that the mother is under pressure, saying, 'They said her pressure dropped.' A user on the 'X' messaging app also stated that 'the repeated scenario of broadcasting forced confessions means the clerics have committed another crime and want to cover it up; we should not leave the Garavand family alone.' Civil activist Pouya Jigarvand confirmed this statement, writing, 'If this is not the government's doing, why are they trying to exonerate themselves? Thousands die every day; why don't they take confessions from them?' Lawyer Mohsen Barahani emphasized that 'according to the country's laws, reporting on such an incident is not a crime,' stating, 'Transparency means that the plainclothes forces should leave the area around Fajr Hospital and allow journalists to be present and report on the incident that happened to 16-year-old Armita Garavand.' On Tuesday, a reporter from Shargh newspaper, who went to the hospital to report on Armita Garavand, was arrested and later released after several hours. Analyst Najat Bahrami also referred to Armita's mother's statements, writing, 'These few sentences and the code that the poor mother embedded in her forced interview show that we are facing a crime completely similar to the murder of Mahsa Amini. 'They said' her pressure dropped!' The Hengaw website identified the unconscious teenager in the metro as 'Armita Garavand, a 16-year-old from Kermanshah' and confirmed that she 'fell into a coma two days ago due to the beating of special hijab enforcement agents in the Tehran metro' and is 'hospitalized under strict security measures.' The report cited an informed source stating, 'Currently, due to the extensive presence of security forces at Fajr Hospital, no visits with this teenage girl, even for her family, are possible.' Unofficial reports on Tuesday indicated that a teenage girl, along with her friends, entered the fourth metro line at the 'Shahada Square' station on Sunday, October 1, while not wearing a mandatory hijab, and after 'being pushed by agents, her head hit a metal object,' causing her to faint. Masoud Dorosti, the managing director of the metro operating company, claimed that the fainting of this 16-year-old girl was 'probably due to a drop in pressure' and stated that no footage of her being pushed by anyone, including metro operational staff, 'has been recorded.' In the video released by the Islamic Republic News Agency, there is no scene from inside the metro or the moment the teenage girl fainted, but the moment she entered the metro while her health condition was normal is recorded. Previously, the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran stated on October 1, 'The punitive hijab law 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.' Abram Peely also added, 'We continue to stand with the people of Iran as they peacefully seek their democracy and basic human dignity.' He also called on the Iranian authorities to repeal this 'oppressive law' and respect the rights of Iranian women.