Title: Death of Iranian Armita Gharaee

The Islamic Republic News Agency reported today, Saturday, that "the girl Armita Gharaee (16 years old) has died following reports of a confrontation with the morality police over an alleged violation of the hijab law in the country." The agency stated: "Unfortunately, she fell into a coma after suffering brain damage and died just a few minutes ago." Human rights groups were the first to announce Gharaee’s hospitalization and shared images of her on social media appearing unconscious while on life support with a respiratory tube and bandages on her head. Reuters could not verify the images. Iran denies that Gharaee was injured after an encounter on October 1 with security forces monitoring women's adherence to mandatory dress codes in the Tehran Metro. The law requires women to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing since the 1979 revolution that overthrew the secular, Western-backed shah.