Iranian woman left paralysed after being shot by police over hijab

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An Iranian woman was reportedly paralyzed after being shot by the morality police who attempted to stop her car for alleged violation of Iran’s strict hijab law.

The incident took place on 22 July in the city of Noor in Iran when her car was flagged, reportedly because she had been seen driving with her hair uncovered.

Arezoo Badri, 31, allegedly did not comply with the police’s orders to stop when they opened fire. She was hit by a bullet and later fell into a coma, Mamlekate, an organisation of Iranian citizen journalists, reported. She has now been relocated to a hospital in Tehran.

A police commander in Noor confirmed that officers had shot a driver who failed to comply with an order to pull over but did not identify the individual as Ms Badri.

A source familiar with her case told the BBC that “she is paralyzed from the waist down”, as doctors continued to evaluate her chances of recovery.

Ms Badri has two children. Her current condition is unknown as she remains in a heavily guarded military hospital, with her family under pressure to stay silent, the Guardian reported.

Last year, as part of a crackdown on women defying Iran’s mandatory dress code, authorities announced they would use CCTV to identify female drivers not covering their hair and seize their vehicles.

In 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being detained by the morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly. Amini’s death sparked widespread protests across the country against the Iranian regime.

In the wake of her death, Iran saw massive civil unrest, with demonstrations calling for greater freedom and women’s rights. More women openly defied the hijab laws, joining the movement for change.

However, the demonstrations died down following a heavy crackdown on dissent in which hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands detained.

Last year in October, an Iranian teenager fell into a coma after an alleged altercation with the country’s morality police and then was declared “brain dead”.

Sixteen-year-old Armita Geravand was admitted to hospital with head injuries earlier in October after the incident at a Tehran metro station. Activists accused the morality police of assaulting the teenager for not wearing a hijab.

Earlier in October last year, the Norway-based Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said Geravand had been “assaulted” by morality police and fallen into a coma. Another opposition network, IranWire, said Geravand had been admitted to hospital with “head trauma”.

The stringent hijab regulations established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution are entrenched in Iran’s legal system, mandating specific dress codes for women. Those found in violation of these laws frequently face severe penalties, such as imprisonment and fines.