An Iranian woman, Arezou Badri, has been left unable to walk after police opened fire on her vehicle over a hijab violation, activists in the Islamic Republic claim. According to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA-Iran), police had been ordered to impound Badri’s vehicle for showing her hair in public while driving. Badri, a 31-year-old mother of two, is now confined to a bed in a police hospital due to her injuries.
The incident occurred on July 22 along a coastal road in Iran’s Mazandaran province, as Badri and her sister were driving home. The police reportedly shot at Badri’s tires before firing into the vehicle, causing severe injuries that have left her unable to walk. Iranian law dictates specific procedures for police use of firearms, including firing a warning shot and aiming to wound below the waist before potentially fatal shots are taken.
Badri’s current condition includes a lack of sensation from the waist down, and it will take some time to determine if she is completely paralyzed. The reason for the police stopping Badri’s car remains unclear, although activists believe it was related to the hijab violation. Authorities are holding Badri in a police hospital in Tehran under tight security, restricting family visits and preventing photographs.
The incident has raised concerns about the enforcement of hijab laws in Iran, especially following the death of Masah Amini in 2022, which sparked widespread protests. Police enforcement of hijab laws had been reduced after the protests but intensified again under the Noor Plan. Surveillance technology, possibly from Chinese firms, is used to track women driving without hijabs, leading to increased scrutiny and potential consequences.
Human Rights group Amnesty International has called for a thorough investigation into the incident involving Arezou Badri, emphasizing the need to address Iran’s impunity crisis and abolish compulsory veiling laws.
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