Politics

Amnesty denounces Iran’s campaign to enforce compulsory veiling

London, Mar 6 (EFE).- Amnesty International on Wednesday denounced the campaign by Iranian authorities to enforce compulsory veiling laws through widespread surveillance of women in public spaces and mass car confiscations.

“Iran’s authorities are terrorizing women and girls by subjecting them to constant surveillance and policing, disrupting their daily lives and causing them immense mental distress,” Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East Diana Eltahawy said.

Several Iranian women defy the mandatory Islamic veil law as a form of protest against the government after the custodial death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for not wearing the headscarf properly.

Amini’s death in September 2022 sparked strong women-led protests in the streets, demanding more rights and liberties. The protest, brutally suppressed by the authorities, allegedly resulted in the death of some 500 people.

The authorities have since tried to reimpose the mandatory veil through penalties, prosecutions and “morality” classes, the rights group said.

It collected testimonies from 46 people, 41 women, one girl and four men, who provided “a frightening glimpse into the Iranian authorities intensifying persecution of women and girls.”

“Their draconian tactics span from stopping women drivers on the road and carrying out mass confiscation of their vehicles to imposing inhumane flogging and prison sentences,” Eltahawy said.

According to Amnesty, hundreds of thousands of vehicles, with female drivers or passengers not wearing the veil, have been confiscated since April 2023.

In one extreme case, the rights group said, activist Roya Heshmati received 74 lashes in January for appearing unveiled in public.

However, the Iranian authorities have not managed to reimpose the veil, which they consider a non-negotiable symbol of the Islamic Republic. EFE

uk-jlr/up/ssk

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