Iranian teenager, 16, reportedly 'brain dead' after alleged altercation with morality police

An Iranian teenage girl who fell into a coma after an alleged altercation with morality police has been deemed "brain dead", state media reports.

Armita Geravand, 16, suffered a "severe physical attack" by officers at Tehran's Shohada station on October 1.

CCTV footage, released by Iranian state broadcaster Irna, showed images of a girl being carried off a metro train.

Activists have accused morality police of assaulting her for not wearing a hijab. Authorities have since insisted she fainted.

There has been no immediate confirmation of the teenagers condition from either her parents or activists.

Activist group Hengaw claims that she is being treated at Fajr hospital under "tight security".

Some Iranians have drawn parallels with the case of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody in September 2022 after being detained by morality police in Tehran.

Her death prompted nationwide protests and led to tens of thousands of arrests for dissent, Amnesty International said.

Anti-government protests erupted across the country following her death - hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in a violent crackdown by security forces.

Iranian authorities likely worry about this incident escalating into popular anger like in Amini's case. Women continue to ignore the hijab law despite the growing crackdown.

That includes what Shargh, a reformist newspaper, described as Tehran's city government hiring of some 400 people as “hijab guards” to give verbal warnings, prevent uncovered women from entering subway cars and hand them over to police.

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