Arrested For Breaking Hijab Laws: A Gendered Injustice

In Iran, women have been violently dragged from the streets and arrested by the morality police for not adhering to the compulsory hijab. The Iranian government has passed a new, stricter hijab law, which imposes harsh punishments on women who do not comply, including fines, restrictions on travel and online activities, and long-term imprisonment. The law has sparked widespread protests, with women defiantly removing their hijabs and cutting their hair in public. The Iranian authorities have responded to these protests with force, and it is estimated that there have been around 19,000 arrests and more than 500 deaths.

Iranian women violently dragged from the streets by police for breaking hijab laws

On 24 April 2024, Iranian women were violently dragged off the streets of Iran by police for breaking hijab laws. This incident occurred amidst a new campaign called Noor ("light" in Persian), which was announced on the same day that the Iranian regime launched drone attacks on Israel. The campaign was intended to crack down on "violations" of the country's strict hijab rules, which mandate that all women cover their heads in public.

Video evidence verified by human rights groups showed women and girls being forcefully arrested by the notorious Gasht-e-Irshad ("morality police"). These videos circulated on social media, along with accounts of beatings and assault. One such account involved a mother and daughter who were surrounded by five female agents wearing chadors and two male agents in a busy Tehran square. The agents hurled insults and accusations before violently dragging the pair into a van when they resisted arrest.

Dina Ghalibaf, a student at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, shared her experience on Twitter (now X), recounting how she was tasered, handcuffed, and sexually assaulted by officers in a police room at the Sadeghiyeh metro station. Ghalibaf was subsequently arrested and transferred to Evin prison, where she faced legal action despite refuting the allegations of sexual assault.

The stories of Ghalibaf and other detainees prompted jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to urge Iranian women to share their experiences of arrest and sexual assault. One young detainee from Tehran described how she was surrounded by eight agents who kicked and punched her while hurling insults. Another woman recounted how both male and female agents touched her body during her arrest, despite it being forbidden for male agents to do so. She was then pushed into a van and verbally abused before being taken to a detention center with five or six other women arrested for hijab violations.

The violent enforcement of hijab rules in Iran has sparked widespread protests and international condemnation. Despite the risks, many Iranian women continue to refuse to wear the hijab, standing strong against the oppressive regime.

Iranian women arrested after altercations with hijab enforcers

Iranian women have been arrested after altercations with hijab enforcers, with reports of violent treatment and sexual assault at the hands of the morality police. In one instance, three Iranian women were arrested after arguing with a woman attempting to enforce the hijab law in the city of Yazd. The woman who instigated the conflict was not arrested.

There are numerous reports of women being violently dragged from the streets of Iran and detained by security services for failing to comply with the country's hijab rules. This includes a student at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University, Dina Ghalibaf, who was tasered, handcuffed, and sexually assaulted by officers. Ghalibaf was later transferred to Evin prison, where she faced legal action despite her allegations of sexual assault.

Another young woman from Tehran reported being surrounded by eight agents who kicked and insulted her. She described how both women and men touched her body during the arrest, despite claiming to be loyal Muslims. She, along with five or six other women, was taken to the detention center in Gisha.

These arrests are part of a broader crackdown on women's rights in Iran, with the regime launching a campaign called Noor ("light" in Persian) to target "violations" of the hijab rules. This campaign was announced on the same day that Iran launched drone attacks on Israel. The morality police have been accused of brutal enforcement of these rules, with human rights organizations and the UN fact-finding mission concluding that the Iranian regime committed crimes against humanity.

Iranian women face severe financial penalties for breaking hijab laws

Iranian women have long been subjected to strict laws regarding their dress, with the country's Islamic Revolution in 1979 making the hijab compulsory. In recent years, there has been a wave of protests against these laws, with women publicly defying the rules and removing their head coverings. In response, the Iranian government has intensified its crackdown, with violent arrests and the introduction of severe financial penalties for breaking hijab laws.

The Iranian government has proposed and, in some cases, implemented harsh punishments for women who do not adhere to the compulsory hijab rule. In 2024, an Iranian lawmaker, Amirhossein Bankipour, announced that the government was considering financial penalties for hijab violations as a less confrontational means of enforcing the dress code. The proposed bill, dubbed the "Hijab and Chastity" bill, included fines of 30 million Iranian rials ($50) directly debited from women's bank accounts, with additional penalties for repeat offenses. The bill also empowered intelligence agencies and the police to take action against violators.

The Iranian government has also passed other laws that impose severe financial penalties on women who defy the compulsory hijab. The "Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab" includes exorbitant fines, with the amount escalating for repeat offenses. For example, under Article 48 of this law, women caught "bad dressing" face fines starting at around US$160 for the first infraction and increasing to US$4,000 for the fourth. Subsequent offenses carry even higher fines, along with prison sentences, travel bans, and restrictions on social media use.

The financial penalties for breaking hijab laws in Iran can have devastating consequences for women, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The inability to pay these fines can result in further restrictions and hardships, such as being barred from registering or recovering vehicles, acquiring or renewing driving licenses, renewing passports, or leaving the country. Additionally, women who cannot pay the fines may face asset seizure or imprisonment.

The implementation of financial penalties for breaking hijab laws in Iran is part of a broader trend of increasing repression and restrictions on women's rights and freedoms in the country. The Iranian government's response to the protests has included not only financial penalties but also violent arrests, beatings, and even the death penalty for peaceful activism against compulsory veiling. The international community has widely condemned these actions, with human rights organizations and the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluding that the Iranian authorities have committed crimes against humanity.

Iranian women face long prison sentences for breaking hijab laws

Iranian women face harsh punishments, including long prison sentences, for breaking the country's hijab laws. The "Protection of the Family through Promoting the Culture of Hijab and Chastity" law, approved by the Iranian parliament in September 2023 and implemented in December 2024, imposes severe penalties for those caught "promoting nudity, indecency, unveiling, or improper dressing." These penalties include fines of up to £12,500 ($15,820), flogging, and prison sentences of up to 15 years for repeat offenders.

The law has sparked widespread condemnation, including from Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has stated his opposition to the strict enforcement of the mandatory hijab. Despite this, the law has been enforced by the Iranian authorities, resulting in numerous arrests and detentions of women.

The new law consists of 71 articles that strengthen the government's control over women's lives and impose restrictions on employment and educational opportunities for violators. It also threatens businesses and institutions that fail to enforce these measures with fines or closure. The law specifically targets activism against the compulsory hijab, with Article 36 imposing long-term imprisonment for those who actively oppose the mandatory hijab and encourage others to do the same.

The implementation of the law has led to violent arrests and detentions of women by the Gasht-e-Irshad ("morality police"). First-hand accounts and videos have surfaced, showing women being forcefully arrested, assaulted, and subjected to insults and abuse by the morality police.

The Iranian government's crackdown on hijab violations has been met with resistance and defiance by many Iranian women, who continue to publicly defy the strict dress code. However, the consequences of breaking the hijab laws can be severe, with women facing not only long prison sentences but also fines, flogging, and even the possibility of execution under certain interpretations of the law.

The international community has expressed concern over the situation, with human rights organizations calling for an end to the discrimination and abuses faced by Iranian women due to their choice of dress.

Iranian women face restrictions on employment and education for breaking hijab laws

Iranian women have been subject to violent arrests, restrictions on education and employment, and other forms of persecution for breaking hijab laws. The country's morality police, known as Gasht-e-Irshad, have been filmed forcefully arresting women and girls for violating the country's hijab rules, which mandate that all women cover their heads in public.

The Iranian regime's crackdown on women's rights has intensified since the country's drone strikes on Israel in April 2024, with human rights groups documenting brutal enforcement of hijab rules. Women have reported being violently dragged into vans, beaten, insulted, and sexually assaulted by both male and female agents of the morality police. One detainee, Dina Ghalibaf, recounted being tased, handcuffed, and sexually assaulted during her arrest.

Iranian women who defy compulsory veiling laws face severe consequences, including imprisonment, flogging, exorbitant fines, and restrictions on their education and employment. The "Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab," which was set to come into force in December 2024, imposes harsh penalties on those who do not conform to the dress code. The law includes 74 articles that outline punishments for various forms of "unveiling" and "bad dressing." For example, women and girls who expose any body parts below the neck, excluding hands and feet, or who wear tight clothing, can be fined up to US$4,000 for the fourth infraction and face escalating penalties for subsequent offenses, including up to five years in prison, travel bans, and bans on social media use.

The Iranian parliament's "Hijab and Chastity" bill, passed in September 2022, further reinforces these restrictions and punishments. The bill imposes severe punishments on women and girls for violations of the dress code, including up to 10 years in prison and flogging. It is currently awaiting approval by the Guardian Council before it can become law.

The enforcement of these laws has been facilitated by technological advancements, such as face recognition algorithms and traffic monitoring cameras, which have been used to identify and target women who are not adhering to the hijab laws. This has led to concerns about the Iranian government's use of digital surveillance to suppress dissent and enforce gender-related dress codes.

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