Iran hijab laws back in spotlight as police shooting leaves woman paralyzed

TEHRAN — A 31-year-old Iranian woman, Arezou Badri, remains bedridden at a Tehran hospital, paralyzed in her lower limbs and facing loss of speech, more than three weeks after she was shot by Iranian police over alleged violations of the mandatory hijab laws, activists reported.

Badri was targeted during a police chase in the northern city of Nur on July 24. The Iranian police confirmed the shooting only this week, accusing Badri in a statement of "refusal to comply with an order to stop." They argued that Iranian officers were "legally authorized to use a weapon" under such circumstances.

The statement did not produce further details, but opposition media, citing her family, said that through her vehicle registration Badri had previously received a hijab notice, something commonly issued to drivers or passengers captured wearing loose hijab on traffic cameras. Under those regulations, the noncompliant vehicles are seized, and the violators could face a variety of punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment.

Transferred to Tehran from her hometown, Badri has undergone surgeries, with medical staff facing severe restrictions imposed by the intelligence officers stationed at the facility, including confiscation of their phones before attending to the patient to avoid public release of any information, rights campaigners have said.