Ambiguity in Armita’s health condition and excessive pressure from government authorities on her family

Hengaw, Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Following the release of reports and images illustrating the condition of Armita Garavand, a 16-year-old teenager who lost consciousness earlier this week due to an assault by the “morality police” personnel at Tehran Metro, security entities have placed extreme control over her family to prevent any publication of information.
 

According to Hengaw's reliable information, government security agents have seized the mobile phones of all members of Armita’s family under suspicion of sending any recorded images after the release of Armita's photos in the special care unit of Tehran's “Fajrhospital.
 

Last night, government-affiliated media published an interview with Armita's parents. In this interview, Armita's mother stated, "We don't know; they said she has collapsed." The interview suggests that despite the pressure, Armita's parents do not have certainty about the cause of her unconsciousness.
 

One of the sources close to the family revealed to Hengaw that this interview was recorded within the premises of “Fajr” Hospital and under the intense presence and pressure of security forces.
 

Hengaw published for the first time an image of Armita Garavand in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Fajr Hospital last night. Hengaw’s referring source stated that Armita’s health condition has not improved, and she is still in a coma.
 

The entire premises of the “Fajr" hospital, especially the intensive care unit (ICU), have been under strict control by the security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran the entire time Armita has been hospitalized. Security forces control all activities, movements, and access of individuals within the hospital.
 

Armita Garavand was transferred to the hospital after losing consciousness due to aggravated assault by the “Morality Police" enforcing compulsory “hijab” at the entrance of the "Shohada" metro station in Tehran on the morning of Sunday, October 1st, 2023.

Considering the Islamic Republic's history of withholding the truth and ongoing denial of crimes committed, especially state-sanctioned murder like the case of Jina Amini, and the lack of trust in government institutions, Hengaw calls for an examination of Armita Garavand’s condition by an independent medical team composed of Doctors Without Borders and the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (located in Tehran) with the presence of a representative from the Truth-Finding Committee of the United Nations for Iran.