Iran: 16-year-old girl commits suicide after being threatened with expulsion for dancing without a hijab

The shocking news of the suicide of a 16-year-old girl in Iran who ended her life after being threatened with expulsion when she was recorded dancing without wearing a hijab – days after the story of the Iranian student who stayed in her underwear to protest, was arrested and brutally abused.

The final moments of Aresu Kawari as the 16-year-old was known are captured in a photo in which she is allegedly seen on the edge of a building just before she dove into the void

Sad news from Iran.

16-y-o school girl Arezoo Khavari took her life after coming under attack by her school for refusing to follow Islamist dress codes and wearing the veil in public.

She was threatened with expulsion and legal consequences by the regime. pic.twitter.com/cWR06QYksv

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 6, 2024

The death of Aresu, who was originally from Afghanistan and lived in the city of Sarari, was confirmed by Tehran’s General Directorate of Education which recorded that the 16-year-old “was injured due to falling from a building. She was immediately taken to a hospital where, despite doctors’ efforts, she died.”

Although the Iranian authorities’ statement noted that “the motives and reasons for this act are being investigated,” activist Masih Alinjad wrote in X that the 16-year-old was driven to commit suicide “after being sent back from a school trip for violating the dress code by wearing jeans instead of the prescribed clothing.”

This is #ArezooKhavari, a 16-year-old who took her own life after relentless harassment by her school principal over the Islamic hijab.

Her smile, her beautiful hair, and the victory sign in this photo break my heart. She was just a teenage girl who wanted the simple freedom to… https://t.co/cNNkaiOXU3 pic.twitter.com/9Cp0KKDvKx

— Masih Alinejad (@AlinejadMasih) November 5, 2024

For his part, the 16-year-old’s father filed a complaint against the school which he accused of negligence and insensitivity.

“The Taliban are kicking girls out of schools and Iran’s clerics are crushing the spirit of a girl who wanted to have her hair loose, dance, and choose her clothes,” Alinjad wrote.

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