Iran to prosecute woman who allegedly ‘disrespected’ her headscarf: Reports

According to local media reports, the Iranian judiciary is prosecuting a woman who allegedly “disrespected” her headscarf during a public meeting in Tehran. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported the incident on Saturday (February 18) and said that legal proceedings against the individual who threw her headscarf on the ground have begun. This comes after reports emerged of protests in several Iranian cities on Thursday.

“Legal proceedings have been launched against a woman who disrespected her headscarf during the election for the Tehran branch of the Iran Construction Engineering Organisation,” said the Tasnim news agency. The report added, “It was falsely claimed that this individual was disqualified (from the branch election) for not wearing the headscarf.”

A short video of the incident was also published by the Tehran municipality newspaper Hamshahri which showed the woman throwing her hijab on the ground as the participants left the meeting, reported AFP.

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Iran witnessed nationwide protests last year, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who died after she was detained by authorities for her alleged breach of the dress code. The requirement for women to wear a headscarf or hijab has been enshrined in Iranian law since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

However, the recent long wave of unrest has now posed the biggest challenges to the Iranian regime as women were seen openly defying the hijab law, burning their headscarves and even cutting their hair during these protests. The recent demonstrations seen on multiple social media videos and took place overnight, on Thursday, were 40 days after the execution of two protesters last month and two others in December, reported Reuters.

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While it seemed like the protests had tapered off which could be attributed to the country’s execution of demonstrators and a wider crackdown on acts of civil disobedience but reports emerging on Thursday indicate otherwise.

Last month, Iran’s judiciary said that they wanted to resume implementing and enforcing their hijab rules, the violation of which led to penalties including exile. Additionally, in the past couple of weeks several cafes, restaurants and pharmacies have been shut down by Iranian authorities for serving customers who were not wearing a hijab.

(With inputs from agencies)

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