178 lashes and 18 months in prison for not wearing a hijab: Iranian authorities sentence local activist
Kyiv • UNN
Iranian activist Hamideh Zarei was sentenced to 178 lashes and 18 months in prison for not wearing a hijab. The activist's problems with the authorities began in 2022.
Iranian activist and former political prisoner Hamideh Zarei has been sentenced to 178 lashes and 18 months in prison for not wearing a mandatory hijab. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Daily Mail.
Details
Activist Hamideh Zarei's problems with the Iranian authorities date back to 2022. Zarei was first detained in Karaj on May 29, 2023, and imprisoned in Kachoui prison until her release on February 22, 2024. She was then banned from traveling for two years, from acting on social media, and exiled to Rasht.
Zarei's first known arrest occurred on November 3, 2022, when she was detained for attending a memorial on the 40th day of the murder of Hadis Najafi, a young woman shot by security forces during the 2022 protests. The Karaj Revolutionary Court, under Judge Musa Asafoholghosseini, sentenced her to one year in prison for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran." She was imprisoned in Kachoui prison before being released on February 7, 2024, under a so-called pardon directive.
Last June, she was arrested after being summoned to the Rasht court and sent to Lakan prison, only to be released on June 10 after securing a judicial bond.
This year, the ordeal of the Tehran University master's student began on February 3, when she appeared at the public and revolutionary prosecutor's office in Rasht as part of a forced residence sentence.
Zarei spent 29 days in custody in Rasht Central Prison and was released on March 3, according to a report by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization. It is reported that during her detention, the activist was physically assaulted by two employees of the security department of the Rasht prosecutor's office, as a result of which she sustained wrist injuries and severe bruises.
Latest verdict
Immediately after her release from prison, the activist was detained for not wearing a mandatory hijab, which led to new charges. The new sentence includes nine months in prison and 74 lashes for "disturbing public order," nine months for "resisting law enforcement officers," 74 lashes for "insulting an officer in the performance of duty," and 30 lashes for "causing invisible bodily harm." After the verdict, the sentence was reduced to nine months.