Iranian Woman Who Stripped At University Might Be Subjected To 'Torture, Electric Shocks': Report

A young Iranian woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, is at the centre of alarming human rights concerns after she was detained for stripping down to her underwear in a public protest. Reports suggest that she may have endured severe mistreatment while in custody, including potential torture, electric shocks, and physical assault. The woman, who was initially transferred to a psychiatric hospital, is now said to have been subjected to chemical substances, according to Amnesty International (AI), which claims to have evidence of the Iranian authorities' abusive tactics. 

The woman is believed to have been protesting after being physically assaulted by campus security at Islamic Azad University in Tehran for not adhering to the strict dress code for women.

She was later detained by university security and found to be under severe mental stress, with a mental disorder, according to university spokesperson Amir Mahjob.

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Amnesty International Documents Torture Practices Against Detainees

Amnesty International revealed on Friday that it has gathered evidence showing that prisoners arrested under the pretext of mental instability are being subjected to electric shocks, beatings, torture, and exposure to chemical substances. 

This claim comes in the context of the case of a female student, whose identity remains unknown, who was reportedly detained after being physically assaulted by campus security for not adhering to the university's dress codes.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran condemned the woman's transfer to an unknown mental institution, calling it ‘kidnapping’. They stated that Iranian authorities routinely use involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation to suppress dissent, labeling protesters as mentally unstable to discredit them.

Several protesters arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom demonstrations have also been committed to psychiatric hospitals following their arrests.

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In October 2023, Roya Zakeri, a young Iranian woman filmed chanting anti-regime slogans, was labeled mentally unwell by state media and sent to Razi psychiatric hospital. Sources close to her family reported that she was injected with sleeping agents, physically assaulted, and shackled. Additionally, human rights activist Azam Jangravi revealed that in 2018, after photographs of Zakeri waving her hijab went viral, Iranian authorities pressured her to sign a statement admitting to mental health issues.