UN experts are calling for an investigation into the death of a young Iranian for not wearing the Islamic veil

United Nations experts today asked the government of Iran to launch a swift investigation into the death of Armita Gaavand, the young Iranian who died on October 28 after an alleged attack in the Tehran subway because she did not wear the Islamic veil.

The experts, including the UN rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, denounced that the young woman’s death is part of a “new wave of attacks on women and girls” in the country after the law came into effect . Law of chastity and hijab.

Among the reprisals Iranian women face for not adhering to these rules, experts highlighted that some have lost their jobs, been sentenced to prison or forced labor.

“Iranian women and girls should not be punished for wearing or not wearing a particular item of clothing, and they certainly should not risk losing their lives for it,” they said.

Iranian authorities have defended that the young woman hit her head after a power outage in the capital’s subway and that she died after being in a coma for 28 days due to brain damage caused by the fall.

A young Iranian who got into a fight in Tehran because he did not wear the Islamic headscarf has little chance of recovery

The experts called on Iranian authorities to “end” discriminatory gender laws, including rules imposing mandatory dress codes, as incompatible with the principles of gender equality and other freedoms.

“We remain concerned and alarmed by the policies and practices that continue to be applied in Iran,” the experts said.

They also criticized the Iranian government for allegedly failing to independently investigate the deaths of women and girls during the national protests that erupted in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the so-called Moral Police. wearing the veil correctly.

The statement is also signed by the UN Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Morris Tidball-Binz; the rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, and the five members of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls.