Women face DEATH PENALTY if they send a photo of themselves without a veil, under Iran’s new moral laws
Women in Iran now face the death penalty or years behind bars if they violate new moral laws.
The new laws, passed by Iran’s hardline parliament earlier this month, introduced harsh punishments for women in the name of promoting a “culture of chastity and hijab.”
These punishments are aimed at those caught ‘promoting nudity, indecency, unveiling or inappropriate dress’ and can lead to fines of up to £12,500, flogging and prison sentences of up to 15 years for repeat offenders.
This includes women alleged to be promoting or advocating indecency, exposure or ‘bad dress’ towards foreign entities, including international media and civil society organizations.
If Iranian authorities determine that the crime has led to “corruption on earth,” the suspect could be sentenced to death under Article 296 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code.
Amnesty International has rejected new laws that say women could be sentenced to death for sending videos of themselves to media outside the Islamic Republic.
The rights group said the law also appears to provide immunity to anyone who wants to fulfill their “religious duty” and impose mandatory head coverings for women.
This comes after women in Iran repeatedly rebelled against the regime’s draconian moral laws by defiantly removing their headscarves in public.
Two Iranian women in November. Women in Iran now face the death penalty or years behind bars if they violate new morality laws
The 2022 protests in Iran, with an unveiled woman standing on top of a car. Amnesty International has condemned new laws that claim women could be sentenced to death for sending videos of themselves to media outside the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The new laws, passed by Iran’s hardline parliament earlier this month, introduced harsh penalties for women in the name of promoting a “culture of chastity and hijab.”
Companies that fail to enforce the laws will also be subject to severe penalties or fines.
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East, said The Guardian: ‘This shameful law intensifies the persecution of women and girls for daring to stand up for their rights following the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.
“The authorities are trying to entrench the already suffocating system of repression against women and girls while making their daily lives even more unbearable.”
The new laws also sparked outrage among Iranian activists and journalists.
Iranian human rights lawyers such as Saeid Dehghan went so far as to claim that it violates Article 9 of the Iranian Constitution, which prohibits legislation that undermines citizens’ freedoms, even in the name of national sovereignty.
The law comes two years after protests rocked Iran following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Mahsa was arrested by the Iranian morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf correctly.
Since the protests, Iranian women have publicly defied the strict dress code.
Last month, a video of a female student in Iran went viral after she stripped down to her underwear in the street. This was reportedly in protest against the strict dress code.
Last month, a video of a female student in Iran went viral after she stripped down to her underwear in the street. This was reportedly in protest against the strict dress code
A protester holds a portrait of Mahsa Amini during a demonstration in Brussels. The law comes two years after protests rocked Iran following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini
Iranian reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian (pictured) has warned that the legislation would only lead to further discontent in Iranian society.
Iran’s reformist president, who came to power after the surprise death of his predecessor in a helicopter crash, has voiced his opposition to new laws.
President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that the legislation would only lead to further discontent in Iranian society.
Reported in words by Iran Internationala London-based Iranian media network, Pezeshkian said: “An unjust law will not be enforced, and if it is, it will cause discontent.”
During his presidential campaign in June’s early elections, Pezeshkian pledged to end hijab patrols and violence against women for violating Islamic dress codes.