Iran's Daily Criticizes Green Movement Leader Over Teenage Girl Death Remarks

Iranian hardline newspaper, Kayhan, criticized Zahra Rahnavard, a Green Movement leader, for her statements concerning the death of Armita Geravand.

Despite her current house arrest, Rahnavard reiterated her call for an end to compulsory hijab, while drawing parallels between 16-year-old Geravand's death and the deaths of other civilians during nationwide protests last year.

She criticized the Iranian regime, stating "The rulers of Iran, delusionally, see the consolidation of their power in the guise of a few pieces of cloth and a law called compulsory hijab … Each time, they attribute the deaths of these girls to physiological disorders, syncope, underlying illnesses, or suicide.”

Armita Geravand's death last month after enduring a head injury allegedly inflicted by the Islamic Republic's morality police, has drawn significant attention. It echoed the death of Mahsa Amini whose death triggered the nationwide protests which rocked Iran last year. The regime never accepted responsibility for her death.

Pro-regime Kayhan blamed Rahnavard for repeating critical news channels that have reported outside the regime's strict censorship, citing Iran International among them. Earlier this year, threats from regime security forced Iran International to temporarily relocate its London offices to the US.

Iranian officials have also blocked the Internet and restricted access to websites to deny the population news and information.

Kayhan operates under the editorial guidance of Hossein Shariatmadari, a staunch hardliner who enjoys the trust of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He was personally appointed to oversee the newspaper—a publication widely regarded as one of the regime's most uncompromising media outlets.