Exclusive: Teenager Assaulted in Tehran Metro Taken to Hospital with Weak Vital Signs

A 16-year-old Iranian girl who fell into a coma after being assaulted by hijab enforcement officers in a Tehran subway station was taken to hospital with weak vital signs, IranWire has learned. 

A source with knowledge of Armita Geravand’s condition told IranWire that the teenager was in a critical condition when she was transported to Fajr Air Force Hospital on the morning of October 1.

"The initial examination by the emergency technician indicated a GCS of 3," the source said. 

The GCS, or Glasgow Coma Scale, is used to describe the extent of impaired consciousness in acute medical and trauma patients. 

The highest possible GCS score is 15, and the lowest is 3. Generally, a score of 8 or fewer means the patient is in a coma.

IranWire’s source said that Armita “was brought to the hospital in a comatose state with a code 99" – meaning that the teenager needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) because she had ceased breathing or her heart had stopped.

According to the source, the emergency service in Tehran established that Armita suffered a "head trauma" after “falling from a level surface."

"Upon receiving the patient, I heard she had fallen during a confrontation in the subway," the source added. 

In a video published by the official IRNA news agency, Armita’s mother says that the teenager lost consciousness following a drop in blood pressure.

But IranWire’s source refuted that version of events: "It is improbable that a drop in blood pressure alone would cause a person to fall and strike their head against an obstacle, as a drop in blood pressure typically leads to symptoms such as dizziness and weakness, which an individual would generally notice. In such cases, they would usually sit down, grasp onto something for balance, or seek assistance from others." 

IRNA also released CCTV footage of three schoolgirls without mandatory headscarves entering a subway train. Moments later a group of passengers can be seen pulling an apparently unconscious girl out to the platform.

Reports from Tehran suggest heightened security measures were put in place around Fajr Hospital on October 3, including the deployment of extra security personnel.

In recent months Iranian authorities have been enforcing mandatory hijab for women and girls, particularly in Tehran metro stations.