The teenager from Kermanshah, assaulted in Tehran, now lies comatose at Fajr hospital, an establishment controlled by the regime’s air force. Adding to the alarming circumstances, authorities have established a substantial security presence at the hospital and have prohibited any visitors, including Geravand’s immediate family.
In an attempt to control the narrative surrounding the incident, a journalist from the regime’s state-operated media, who had come to the hospital to cover the story, was apprehended by security forces. Rather than publishing an accurate account, state-run media outlets chose to circulate reports that absolve the morality police, alleging Geravand fainted due to low blood pressure. In support of this version, doctored video footage from metro security cameras was released, showing only an unconscious Geravand being carried away.
Contrary to the regime’s narrative, local sources suggest that agents of the regime pushed the teen, causing her head to strike a metal bar and leading to her loss of consciousness.
This tragic event has drawn international attention, with Iranian opposition President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), urging the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women to intervene. “It is crucial to investigate her situation thoroughly,” Rajavi emphasized.
The assault on Geravand eerily mirrors the tragic death of Mahsa Amini last year. Amini, a 22-year-old, was detained by the regime’s morality police for similar hijab infractions. She was brutally beaten and suffered a fatal concussion, later succumbing to her injuries at Tehran’s Kasra hospital.
If the clerical regime has nothing to hide in the case of 16-year-old #ArmitaGeravand , who is in a coma after an incident in the subway where she was targeted for improper veiling, why are they surrounding the hospital &preventing independent journalists from gaining access?
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 4, 2023
Amini’s untimely death ignited nationwide protests. Citizens, already disillusioned by over four decades of governmental corruption and repression, called for a complete overthrow of the existing regime. Despite the regime’s harsh suppression, including the killing of approximately 750 protesters and the arrest of 30,000 more, the protests persisted for months. The fallout saw seven young individuals executed in connection with the protests, and several others handed death sentences.
The Iranian regime, aware of the deep-rooted resentment towards their rule, must recognize that incidents like these only fan the flames of dissent, and it could only be a matter of time before another mass uprising ensues.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu
