Cartoon by Monika Soltani

London activists protest in support of Iranian student’s hijab defiance

Niloufar Goudarzi

Iran International: A group of Iranian activists staged an artistic protest in London to honor a female student who recently disrobed to her underwear at a Tehran university in an apparent protest at Islamic dress code enforcement.

"In the land of prohibitions, she chose to act," Zara Agharezaei, dressed in her underwear, told Iran International TV. "This is my body, our body, the body of all women, and no one has the right to decide for us."

The female protesters, part of the Stage of Freedom group, gathered in front of the statue of London's Parliament Square. Dressed in red robes as characters from The Handmaid's Tale — a dystopian novel on the subjugation of women — they walked to Trafalgar Square and ended their march in Piccadilly Circus.

The Iranian student protester was arrested on Saturday after removing her clothing in response to an alleged assault by security forces at Tehran's Islamic Azad University over her hijab.

A video of the student sitting in the university’s Science and Research Branch courtyard quickly spread swiftly on Iranian social media, where some users identified her as Ahou Daryaei, a senior in French Literature, though her identity has not been confirmed. Authorities later said she was suffering a mental health incident.

That characterization fueled online backlash, with many viewing it as a familiar tactic by authorities to undermine female protesters by questioning their mental stability.

To raise awareness, the London activists handed leaflets to passersby that mentioned Arezou Khavari, a 16-year-old Afghan-Iranian student who took her own life this week reportedly due to school pressure over dress code issues.

A similar case emerged on Friday involving student Aynaz Karimi, who died by suicide after facing pressure over “failure to observe decorum,” including wearing nail polish and dyeing her hair which led to her expulsion, according to the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators' Trade Associations.

Since the Woman, Life, Freedom movement began—sparked by the death of young woman Mahsa Amini in police custody over hijab violations in September 2022—hardliners have increased efforts to enforce strict dress codes for women.

Despite widespread public defiance, the government has stepped up enforcement, leading to business closures and the impoundment of vehicles associated with hijab offenses.