Iranian security forces are torturing the brother of a young woman shot and paralyzed by police while driving without a hijab after he publicly campaigned for her treatment, according to a close family member.
Despite officials saying they had given Arezoo Badri treatment, the source told Iran International she was discharged from hospital in early January, two months before her stay was due to be completed.
Her brother Benham was detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 28 after trying to secure treatment for his sister and was beaten in custody in a bid to make him sign a statement denying his arrest.
He was subsequently transferred to a prison in the northern Iranian city of Sari.
The July shooting that left 31-year-old Arezoo paralyzed occurred in the Caspian Sea city of Noor after police stopped her while she drove without a mandatory Islamic head covering.
Although she complied, officers fired at the car, hitting Badri in the spine.
In August, Iran International learned that security forces had pressured her into a forced confession while she was suffering from severe pain.
Iran’s Law Enforcement Command defended the shooting, saying the driver had disregarded police orders, prompting officers to open fire in accordance with regulations
At the Davos conference in Switzerland last month, Mohammad Javad Zarif, deputy to President Masoud Pezeshkian, said authorities were easing their enforcement.
“If you walk on the streets of Tehran, you will see that some women are not wearing the hijab, and despite this being illegal, the government has decided not to put pressure on women.”
Meanwhile, authorities continue to seize vehicles and fine passengers violating the mandatory hijab law.
Publicly, Iranian officials continue to deny the hijab crackdowns, which rights groups have branded "gender apartheid".
