Iran, a new bill aims to deny women who show their hair access to basic services: transport, for example

ROME – A new bill aims to widen the scope of discrimination women face in Iran, says Jasmin Ramsey, deputy director of the Iranian Center for Human Rights (CHRI). Indeed, this proposal suggests that women who show their hair could be denied essential services such as transport and access to banks.

The hijab. The imposition of the hijab in Iran dates back to 1981, following the Iranian revolution of 1979. Since then, scores of women have opposed being forced to wear full coverings, both through public demonstrations and through daily acts of resistance. Many have suffered significant repercussions for their acts of civil disobedience, particularly in recent times and in the wake of the movement Woman Life Freedomborn in September 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini, who died while in state custody after being arrested in Tehran for wearing the hijab incorrectly.

Chastity and hijab. The new bill would aim to equate the act of appearing without the hijab, in public and on social media, with nudity and introduce a series of additional sanctions: fines, restrictions on bank account access, confiscation of personal vehicles, restrictions on travel, ban on online activities up to imprisonment. Under the proposed law, women employed in the public sector accused of not wearing the hijab properly or not at all could face wage deductions and could even lose their jobs. Entrepreneurs would have a duty to ensure that their female employees respect the compulsory hijab law. Failure to do so could result in the closure of their businesses. The proposed law also targets celebrities accused of participating in or promoting the freedom to show their hair. All actions against the compulsory hijab would be treated as acts against national security. These measures – denounces the NGO – further strengthen the discriminatory treatment of women who choose not to cover their hair and support the right to dress according to their preferences.

Evaluation of lawyers. The bill is intrinsically illegitimate as it violates the Constitution, which explicitly states that no authority has the right to abrogate legitimate freedoms, not even with the adoption of ad hoc laws and regulations, under the pretext of preserving the independence and territorial integrity of the country, Saeid Dehghan, an Iranian lawyer said in an interview with CHRI.

Afghanistan and Iran. Women’s rights activists from both Afghanistan and Iran began a campaign in March 2023 with the goal of having gender apartheid recognized as a crime under international law. The ultimate goal of this joint action is to end the discrimination taking place in both Tehran and Kabul with the Taliban.

The UN. UN human rights experts have criticized the Islamic Republic’s practice of penalizing women who refuse to wear the hijab, noting that it constitutes a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression. For the UN, the ban opens the door to potential abuses of other essential rights of a political, cultural, social and economic nature.

The testimonials. Although the bill is not yet state law, unveiled women are already facing extreme discrimination, CHRI complains. “A few days ago, a man on the subway pushed me hard because I wasn’t wearing a hijab and I fell to the ground,” a Tehran woman told the organization. In universities, some paramilitary forces have attacked unveiled girls while female students have been told they will not be able to take exams or will be penalized in grades if they show their hair.

Retaliation against artists. On March 14, a document released by BBC Persian revealed the names of 52 Iranian film and music artists who have been prevented from signing new contracts due to their support for the recent protests. The list includes actress Taraneh Alidoosti, director Asghar Farhadi and musician Kayhan Kalhor.