Report: Iranian student who stripped in hijab protest forced into psychiatric treatment for 2 years

A 32-year-old Iranian mother of two, Ahoo Daryaei, was forced into psychiatric treatment for nearly two years following a protest in 2024, according to a new report. The incident began when Daryaei's hijab fell off while she was walking through Tehran's Islamic Azad University with her phone in hand. Morality police aggressively confronted her, attempting to forcibly remove her clothing.

In a moment of desperation, Daryaei removed her own clothes, shouting that if they continued to strip her, she would do it herself. She was subsequently filmed walking through the campus in her underwear before being detained.

During her arrest, Daryaei was forced to lie with her head between the knees of a female officer, allegedly causing her to suffocate. She bit the officer's hand, leading to her release. At the police station, authorities tried to sedate her with various drugs, including one that broke, requiring a second attempt. Daryaei was then hospitalized, where she was questioned about her actions, accused of mental illness, and her family was threatened.

Her former husband was pressured into admitting she suffered from mental health problems, leading to her release after he made the statement.

Daryaei spent 18 days in involuntary psychiatric hospitalization, and after her release, authorities continued to monitor her through surveillance, phone tracking, and monthly flupentixol injections. She claims she does not have mental illness and views the treatment as an attempt by authorities to cover up the incident. The original protest stemmed from Daryaei's anger at the way she was treated over her headscarf and her desire to assert control over her own body.