Where is Parmida, Who Said “I’m a Woman, Don’t Intimidate Me with Anything”?

Iranwire – Amid a social media campaign aimed at uncovering the whereabouts of Parmida Shahbazi, a woman who boldly told an official’s hijab warning “I’m a woman, don’t intimidate me with anything,” information obtained by IranWire indicates she has been granted release on bail.

Sources said that the prevailing public apprehension about the lack of information concerning Parmida’s fate stems from the coercive tactics used by security agents against the young woman and her family which have compelled them into silence.

Who is Parmida Shahbazi; Where Is She?

There has been limited information about Parmida Shahbazi. A video shows her wearing a white shirt and without a headscarf being confronted by an individual claiming to be a “judicial officer” in the city of Karaj, near Tehran. 

The man seeks to intimidate the young woman by alleging that she had insulted him.

The individual called her a “criminal,” citing Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code, saying she committed “blasphemy” during a religious procession.” 

“Don’t attempt to intimidate me. I’m a woman, resolute in my beliefs,” she replied.

The Alborz Police Command’s Information Center later confirmed the woman’s arrest and warned that those responsible for sharing the video online will be handed over to judicial officials. 

On July 20, Fars news agency announced her arrest in a report featuring a video in which Shahbazi “confessed” and offered an “apology.”

In the 36-second video, the woman’s face is entirely obscured and she is referred to as “a woman who desecrated the sanctity of the procession of Imam Hossein in Karaj.”

Neither the news agency nor Parmida Shahbazi’s family explicitly divulged the name of the woman on the video, but social media users identified her as Parmida Shahbazi.

A source confirmed to IranWire that it was Parmida Shahbazi but did not know the details surrounding her arrest, the charges she faces and her release on bail. 

“[The family] faced so many threats and so much coercion that they’re hesitant to confide in those close to them. All we know is that she was released on bail,” the source said. 

Fatemeh Masjedi, a women’s rights advocate and social historian, told IranWire that Shahbazi was arrested “her words emanate strength and fearlessness.”

“This significance is encapsulated within the concise sentences she utters, which signify a departure from the era of subservience to male authority,” she said.