Second teen suicide in a week after school clash over outfit

A female teenage student in southern Iran died by suicide after facing violence and threats from her school principal, a teacher's union said, marking the second such incident in a week.

Aynaz Karimi was under intense pressure for "failing to observe decorum" for wearing nail polish and dyeing her hair, according to the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators' Trade Associations, leading to her eventual expulsion.

"Kazeroon’s Education Department and its officials, instead of defending students' rights, have remained silent, choosing to protect their own positions and status," the teacher's union said in a statement, referring to the town in Fars province.

"Ideological and repressive actions in schools not only rob students of their futures but also lead to the loss of their lives and motivation," the council wrote on their Telegram channel. "We demand an end to ideological policies, the elimination of disparaging attitudes toward students, and respect for their individual freedoms and human rights."

Just last week, a 16-year-old Afghan-Iranian girl in Tehran took her own life following a confrontation with a school principal for wearing jeans instead of the required uniform on a field trip, according to her father.

In an interview with Tehran-based Rokna News, the father in that case said he was told by the school that his daughter, Arezou, departed without permission. Later, he learned she had jumped from the sixth floor of a friend’s residential building.

The father held the school responsible for the tragedy, adding that the family has filed a formal complaint against the principal. He mentioned that this incident was not isolated, as the school had previously questioned her adherence to the hijab.

Some social media users have drawn comparisons between the experiences of Afghan and Iranian girls, noting that Arezou escaped the Taliban’s compulsory hijab and ban on girls’ education only to face similar restrictions in Iran.

The strict enforcement of hijab rules in Iran pressures Iranian women, and sparked months-long protests in 2022 after the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.

In a recent incident, an Iranian university student’s protest in which she stripped down to her underwear drew international attention from figures like billionaire Richard Branson and Nobel Peace laureates, bringing renewed focus to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement which fueled the 2022 protests.