Iran Government Admits Detention of Student Protesters in Psychiatric Hospitals

"Not Many Detained Students"... No Specific Figures Provided
Protests Against Government Lead to Bloodshed

A woman participating in the protests in Iran is wearing a mask with the message "Stop Killing Us." Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] As hijab protests spread nationwide in Iran, the Iranian government has admitted to detaining students participating in street protests and transferring them to psychological institutions, which are akin to psychiatric hospitals.

On the 12th (local time), according to CNN, Yousef Nouri, Iran's Minister of Education, stated that some protesting students were detained and transferred to so-called psychological institutions, which are psychiatric hospitals.

He added, "The facilities housing the students are institutions aimed at re-educating them to prevent antisocial behavior," and "They must undergo mental changes before they can return to classes."

Currently, Iranian students are actively participating in protests by burning hijabs and cutting their hair. The protests in Iran began in mid-September with the suspicious death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. However, the protests over her suspicious death soon escalated into anti-government demonstrations, and as teenagers who participated also died, the protests have spread nationwide, centered around Generation Z.

Videos circulated through social networking services (SNS) show Iranian women and teenage girls removing their hijabs while shouting "Death to the dictator." In particular, scenes of female students from a vocational high school in Tehran protesting on streets near their school, chanting slogans such as "Women, Life, Freedom," are spreading.

Protests against the government sometimes escalated into violent clashes. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Protests against the government have sometimes led to bloodshed. Iran's National Guard fired tear gas at protesters in Tehran, and in western Tehran, plainclothes and uniformed police fired weapons into the air to disperse people on site.

According to CNN, videos posted on SNS by a user named Rashiran show police beating protesters with riot control equipment and batons and dragging them off the roads.

Meanwhile, as the protests in Iran intensify and even children and teenagers have died, UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency, has called for the protection of children and youth.

In a statement, UNICEF said, "We are concerned by ongoing reports that children and youth are being injured, detained, and facing death amid the public unrest in Iran."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.