Woman Posting Photo Without Hijab on Social Media... Iran Executes 74 Lashes

Iran Authorities Intensify Hijab Enforcement Following Anti-Government Protests

A woman in her 30s in Iran was sentenced to flogging for posting photos without wearing a hijab on social media (SNS). She had to endure as many as 74 lashes.

The Iranian judiciary announced on the 6th (local time) via its website that it had carried out 74 lashes on Iranian woman Rong Heshmati (33) for violating public morality. Along with this, the authorities also imposed a fine of $25 (about 33,000 KRW) on Heshmati.

Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw released this photo of Iranian woman Roya Heshmati [Image source=Hengaw X]

Heshmati was reportedly arrested after posting photos without a hijab on SNS. Iranian authorities explained that the sentence was carried out according to Iranian law and Islamic Sharia law.

The British newspaper The Telegraph, which reported the case, explained that Iran has mandated all women to cover their necks and heads with a hijab since the Islamic Revolution in 1978. However, flogging for violating dress codes is not common even in Iran.

The Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw detailed the situation during Heshmati’s punishment on its official website. Heshmati reportedly compared the flogging room to a "medieval torture chamber." Upon entering the room, she took off her hijab, and when an official asked her to put it back on because it could cause problems, she refused.

The hijab has recently become a sensitive political issue for Iranian authorities. This is because large-scale anti-government protests erupted after Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman from Iran, was taken by the "morality police" in 2022 and died under suspicious circumstances. Amini was arrested for not wearing her hijab properly and was interrogated at a police station.

After this became known, Iranian women participating in anti-government protests refused to wear the hijab in tribute to Amini. Because of this, Iranian authorities have stepped up their crackdown on hijab violations.

The Telegraph reported that Iranian authorities recently installed surveillance cameras in public places such as streets and have suspended the operations of restaurants that serve women not wearing hijabs as guests. It also reported that a bill is being promoted to strengthen punishments for not wearing the hijab beyond the current measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.