Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old teenager from Iran, has passed away after reportedly clashing with authorities for violating the country’s hijab law, as reported by the official IRNA news agency on Saturday.
According to IRNA, she fell into a coma and sustained brain damage, eventually leading to her passing.
Last week, Geravand was declared brain dead after slipping into a coma on Oct 1.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police last September had triggered widespread protests against the Iranian government, marking one of the most significant displays of opposition to the authorities in years.
Human rights groups were the first to bring Geravand’s hospitalization to public attention, sharing images on social media depicting her unconscious, attached to life support, with a respiratory tube and her head wrapped in bandages. The authenticity of these images could not be verified.
Iran has refuted claims that Geravand was injured during an altercation with officers enforcing the mandatory Islamic dress code in the Tehran metro on October 1.
In Iran, women are legally obligated to cover their hair and wear loose, modest clothing. Following Amini’s tragic death, there has been an increasing trend of women appearing in public without adhering to the strict Islamic dress code, despite the risks of public condemnation, fines, or arrest.
