An Iranian artist has been found dead after being banned from travelling to Europe to study over a selfie she posted online showing her bareheaded.

Protester Maryam Salimian, 25, reportedly killed herself after arriving at the airport for a flight to Austria only to be told she was banned from leaving Iran.

Some local media, however, suspect the hardline Islamic regime of being involved in her death.

Maryam’s family has reportedly not yet reacted publicly to her death and some anti-regime media believe they are under pressure to stay silent, reported Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe.

Maryam had previously posted bareheaded photos of herself on social media with the caption ‘without compulsory hijab’.

She had also posted paintings on Twitter, captioning them with the protest slogan “Women, Life, Freedom”.

Protests first broke out in Iran on 16th September after 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in custody after being seized by morality police for wearing her hijab “improperly”.

At least 481 protesters have been killed, while at least 109 are facing execution or death-penalty charges or sentences, according to the non-profit Iran Human Rights.