Latest Updates on Armita Garavand's Health Status by Hengaw
Excessive ambiguity and disinformation surround the Iranian authorities statements
Hengaw: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Excessive ambiguity and disinformation surround the Iranian authorities statements regarding the health status of Armita Garavand. Armita remains under strict security measures at Fajr Hospital, with no updated information available concerning her current health status.
According to Hengaw's information, on Friday, October 6, 2023, Bahman Garavand, Armita's father, was granted permission for a very brief encounter (limited to a glance) with Armita after agreeing to a televised interview.
In this regard, Hengaw emphasizes that the interview with Armita's parents and classmates, as portrayed by state-affiliated media on Friday, took place under duress, with the presence of multiple government authorities and the conservation personnel of the Ministry of Education. Apart from Armita's father, no other individual was allowed to see her.
The claims of her classmates seeing Armita were solely made under the pressure and demands of the government authorities.
On the evening of Thursday, October 5th, 2023, Shahin Ahmadi, Armita's mother, was returned to Fajr Hospital in Tehran after 24 hours of detention after providing consent (an unspecified legal commitment) regarding refraining from any form of communication with the public.
It is worth noting that government authorities, upon transferring Armita to an undisclosed room in the same hospital, replaced all medical staff, including healthcare professionals and even security personnel present at the site, due to concerns about leaked information.
Hengaw had previously reported that the conservation personnel from the Ministry of Education, accompanied by a team of government authorities, had arrived at the “Urwa Al Wuthqa” Art Academy, where Armita Garavand was studying, and had threatened students and Armita's friends, demanding they refrain from any communication or sharing of information about Armita. Security officers had explicitly warned students that any form of communication, including sharing pictures of Armita, would be met with severe consequences.
Since Sunday, October 1st, 2023, coinciding with Armita's hospitalization at Fajr Hospital in Tehran, the entire premises of this hospital, particularly the intensive care unit (ICU), have been under strict control by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
