Women in Iran face up to 10 years in prison for not wearing a headscarf, under strict news laws soon to be passed by the country’s ruling theocracy.
Those who violate the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code already face harsh punishments and extrajudicial reprisals, but the new laws are “aimed at oppressing women and girls into total subjugation,” the United Nations said.
Even businesses that serve women without a hijab are at risk of closure under the stricter dress code that a UN expert says would amount to “gender apartheid.”
The move to implement the new code comes a year after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died on September 16, 2022 after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.
Her death sparked months of nationwide protests in which hundreds more people were killed, including dozens of security personnel, before authorities took action to quell what they called “riots”, including restrictions on the use of social media.
Women in Iran face up to 10 years in prison for not wearing a headscarf, under strict news laws soon to be passed by the country’s ruling theocracy. Pictured: An Iranian police force stands on the streets during the revival of the vice squad in Tehran, Iran, July 16, 2023
The new hijab and chastity law specifies punishments that include more than 60 lashes, heavy fines and prison terms for violators.
It also warns businesses that they could be closed if they are found to be providing services to women who demonstrate ‘inappropriate dress codes’.
Iranian human rights lawyer Hossein Raeesi said the length of prison sentences under the new law is comparable to those for serious crimes in Iran, such as murder and drug trafficking.
“That’s ridiculous to even think about,” he said The guard.
An Iranian journalist, who named the newspaper Elnaz to protect her identity, said: “With the new law, the government is telling us women that we will be jailed for up to 10 years if we don’t wear a hijab.
‘What now? A death penalty for defying the new hijab law?’
The new laws are the latest move by the ruling regime to restrict women’s rights in Iran. The government has also reduced the so-called “morality police” and separated women from men in hospitals, parks, workplaces and universities.
Another journalist told The Guardian that Iran’s rulers took over leadership of the Taliban.
“The bill could be described as a form of gender apartheid, as the authorities appear to rule through systemic discrimination with the intention of oppressing women and girls into total subjugation,” UN experts said.
They said the proposed “bill to support the family by promoting the culture of chastity and hijab” and the existing restrictions are discriminatory.
The move to implement the new code comes a year after the death of Mahsa Amini (pictured), a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died on September 16, 2022 after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.
An unveiled woman stands on top of a car as thousands of people protest in Iran, October 26
“The bill imposes harsh penalties on women and girls for non-compliance, which could lead to violent enforcement,” the experts said.
‘The bill also violates fundamental rights, including the right to participate in cultural life, the prohibition of gender discrimination, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful protest and the right to access social, educational and healthcare services, and freedom of movement.’
According to the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), the new law was reviewed by Iran’s Guardian Council, a powerful body that monitors draft laws. The council consists of twelve men and is led by a 97-year-old clergyman who has been chairman since 1988.
They are tasked with ensuring that new laws are in accordance with Islamic law.
Once the bill is approved, it will be sent to Parliament and could become law in October.
The crackdown on women’s rights comes as the country braces for the anniversary of Amini’s death, which continues to reverberate across Iran.
Some women are choosing to go without a headscarf or hijab, despite increasing authorities’ crackdowns.
Graffiti, likely directed against the Iranian government, is quickly painted over in black by Tehran municipal staff. University professors have been fired for their apparent support of protesters.
Those who violate the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code already face harsh punishments and extrajudicial reprisals, but the new laws are “aimed at oppressing women and girls into total subjugation,” the United Nations said. In the photo: the Iranian president speaks, September 11
International pressure on Iran remains high, even as the government tries to de-escalate tensions with other countries in the region and the West after years of confrontation.
“The weaponization of ‘public morality’ to deny women and girls their freedom of expression is deeply disempowering and will entrench and expand gender discrimination and marginalization,” the UN experts warned.
The demonstrations over Amini’s death that broke out after her arrest a year ago by the country’s morality police, allegedly over the hijab, represented one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The security forces’ crackdown that followed left more than 500 people dead and more than 22,000 people arrested.