A young Iranian student's act of defiance against the country's morality police has resulted in severe consequences, including alleged forced sedation and ongoing psychiatric treatment, according to an interview with her friend.
Ahoo Daryaei, a student at Tehran's Islamic Azad University, became the subject of international attention in November 2024 when her hijab momentarily slipped as she walked, unnoticed, on campus. She was subsequently confronted and aggressively handled by morality police officers who attempted to pull her into a disciplinary room.
In a moment of perceived desperation, Daryaei stripped off her outer clothing, revealing her underwear, and walked through the university courtyard. The incident was captured on video and went viral on social media. Her friend told the Daily Mail that Daryaei's action was a response to the aggressive treatment she was receiving, stating, "She felt 'if you are going to take them off, I will do it myself.'"
Following her protest, Daryaei was detained and reportedly placed in the back of a van. Her friend described an alleged attempt to further humiliate her, stating her head was forced between a female officer's knees during the journey to the station, causing her to struggle for breath.
At the police station, Daryaei was allegedly sedated. Her friend recounted that after initial resistance, she was injected with a substance, losing consciousness. She awoke with her hands and feet tied to a hospital bed, disoriented and without explanation from medical staff. Interviews were conducted while she was in this state, with authorities reportedly accusing her of attempting to leave Iran and seek asylum.
This period of alleged mistreatment and confinement lasted 18 days. Her friend stated that authorities visited her family, including her children, and allegedly pressured her ex-husband into confirming Daryaei had mental health issues. This narrative, according to the friend, was the regime's attempt to discredit her protest in light of the viral video.
Upon her release, Daryaei was reportedly warned of surveillance, including tapped phone lines. She was prescribed anti-psychotic medication, flupentixol, which is used to treat schizophrenia, and was required to pay for it herself. Her friend indicated that she is now mandated to take monthly injections of the medication, administered by doctors to ensure compliance.
"Her family said it is better for her to have these injections with the label of being mentally ill, rather than being hanged, be put in prison or tortured," her friend stated, suggesting it was presented as the only viable option for her safety. Daryaei was reportedly told that stopping the injections would lead to her arrest and return to a psychiatric facility.
Daryaei, now 32 and a textiles student at a different university, reportedly views her protest as an assertion of control over her own body and choices in response to the aggressive enforcement of Iran's strict dress code for women. The morality police, known as Gasht-e Ershad, enforce mandatory veiling laws that have been in place since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian government spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani has denied the violent nature of her arrest and any link to the dress code, stating that the issue was "actually something else" and that "this level of nudity is not accepted anywhere."
In the UK, Iranian activists protested Daryaei's treatment in London's Parliament Square, wearing underwear and red robes in solidarity. Amnesty International called for her "immediate and unconditional release."