Iranian student reportedly strips to protest harassment and is arrested

Iranian authorities arrested a student on Saturday after she staged a solo protest against harassment by stripping down to her underwear outside her university.

According to reports from several media outlets and social media channels outside Iran, the woman, who has not been identified, was chased by members of the Basij militia at Tehran’s prestigious University of Science and Research, who tore off her headscarf and clothes.

She then took off her clothes in protest and sat down outside the university wearing only her underwear before brazenly walking down the street to the astonishment of passers-by, videos posted on social media showed.

According to the mandatory dress code in Iran, women must wear a headscarf in public and loose clothing that covers all body contours.

The video, which was first published by an Iranian student social media channel, the Amir Kabir newsletter, was shared by numerous Persian-language outlets, including social media outlet Dadban, human rights group Hengaw, and news website Iran Wire.

The footage appears to have been filmed by onlookers in a nearby building. Another video shows men in civilian clothes putting her in a car and taking her to an undisclosed location.