An Iranian teenage girl who fell into a coma this month after an alleged beating by morality police on a subway for not wearing a hijab is “brain dead”, according to Iranian state media.
Armita Geravand, 16, was seen unconscious in hospital with a respiratory tube and a bandage over her head in photos published on social media by rights groups such as Kurdish-Iranian Hengaw. The images have not been verified.
State media said that it seemed "certain" she was "brain dead", based on reports on her condition and "despite the efforts of the medical staff ".
"Follow-ups on the latest health condition of Armita Geravand indicate that her health condition as braindead seems certain despite the efforts of the medical staff," the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network said.
Rights advocates had raised concerns that Armita might face the same fate as Mahsa Amini, whose death in the custody of morality police last year sparked months of nationwide anti-government protests.
Iran has denied Armita was hurt after a confrontation on October 1 with officers enforcing the Islamic dress code in the Tehran metro.
Women in the country are required by law to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes.
Violators face public rebuke, fines or arrest. Defying the strict Islamic dress code, more women have been appearing unveiled in public across the country since Amini's death.
