New Delhi: An Iranian woman has become paraplegic after being shot by police for violating the strict hijab law, BBC reported, citing sources. The incident occurred on July 22 when Arezoo Badri, 31, was driving home with her family in the northern Iranian city of Noor. The police pellet entered her lungs and caused severe damage to her spine. It isn’t yet clear if the paraplegia is permanent or not. “She’s paralyzed from the midriff down,” BBC quoted the source as saying.
On July 22, the police tried to pull Arezoo’s car over. When she did not comply, the police opened fire.
Critical condition :bullet removed after 10 days
After she was shot, Arezoo was taken to a hospital in Noor, then moved to one in Sari, and eventually transferred to a hospital in Tehran. The pellet inside her body was removed only after 10 days.
The recent incident occurred about a year and a half after the death of Mahsa Amini. In 2022, Amini was taken into custody by Iran’s morality police for wearing a hijab ‘improperly.’
Her death in custody sparked widespread anti-hijab protests demanding the end of Islamic governance in the country. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had to take note and make a public comment on the dissent.
Iran has enforced a strict dress code for women since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The hijab law includes penalties for women who do not wear the hijab ‘properly’ and prescribes jail terms for those deemed non-compliant.
The Iranian government adopted a hard-line approach against the widespread protests following Mahsa Amini’s death. There were deaths reported across the country as authorities cracked down on the protests. The Iranian government faced international condemnation following Amini’s death. Although the morality police were disbanded temporarily in response to the protests, the force was reinstated under different names once the frequency of the protests decreased