Iran passes stricter hijab bill, proposes 10 years in jail for ‘mocking’, defying dress code

Iran’s parliament has passed a new bill that imposes strict punishment on women who defy hijab laws and on those who support them.

Called the Chastity and Hijab Bill, it will be implemented on a trial basis for three years wherein women can face up to 10 years in prison and can be fined between 180m and 360m rials ($3,651-$7,302).

Currently, those not complying risk a prison term of between 10 days and two months or a fine of between 5,000 and 500,000 rials ($0.10-$10.14 at the black market exchange rate).

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The bill also extends punishments to business owners who serve women not wearing the mandatory headscarf and activists who organise against it.

Bill awaits ratification

The proposed legislation will also fine those "promoting nudity" or "making fun of the hijab" in the media and on social networks, and the owners of vehicles in which a female driver or passenger is not wearing the hijab or appropriate clothing, according to AFP news agency.

The bill was put to vote on Wednesday (Sept 20) with 152 lawmakers in Iran's 290-seat parliament approving it.

It will now head to the Guardian Council, a clerical body that serves as constitutional watchdog, for ratification.

Initially, some lawmakers wanted the trial period to be five years, butthey agreed on three years, after which it would become a permanent law.

Mahsa Amini's death anniversary

The move came just days after the anniversary of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's demise, whose custodial death on Sept 16, 2022, on account of defying hijab laws, sparked months of anti-hijab protests in which many called for the overthrow of Iran's theocracy.

Although the protests faded early this year following a massive crackdown on dissenters, many women continued to flout the hijab rules in public.

Moreover, a growing number of women and girls also reportedly stopped covering their hair in public altogether as the unrest subsided, despite the return of the morality police to the streets and the installation of surveillance cameras.

In the year-long protests, at least 500 people were killed and over 22,000 detained.

(With inputs from agencies)

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