Concern grows for Iran woman detained over underwear protest

A woman flashes a thumbs-up as she takes part in a protest gathering called by the "Woman Life Freedom Collective" (Femme Vie Liberte) and the Association Phenix in support of the Iranian student, believed to be named Ahou Daryaei, arrested after stripping to her underwear in Tehran, by the Pantheon monument near the Sorbonne University in Paris on Nov. 5, 2025.

Alarm is growing over the fate of an Iranian student who was arrested after stripping down to her underwear in protest over alleged harassment regarding her dress.

Activists fear the authorities may attempt to confine her in a psychiatric institution, a tactic often used to suppress dissent in the country.

The incident, which unfolded on the campus of Tehran's prestigious Islamic Azad University on Saturday, was captured on video and shared widely on social media. In the footage, the student, dressed only in her bra and underpants, is seen defiantly walking down the street before being bundled into an unmarked car by plainclothes agents.

According to Persian-language media outside Iran, the student was protesting against university security guards who had reportedly harassed her over her attire, going so far as to rip off her headscarf and clothing.

It remains unclear where she is being held.

Many activists regard her as a new icon of the struggle for women's rights in Iran, more than two years after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest for an alleged breach of the statutory dress code for women, sparked months of nationwide protests.

However, the Iranian authorities have alleged that the student has a mental disorder, raising concerns that this could be a pretext for confining her in a psychiatric institution, a tactic frequently used...