Iranian woman ‘jailed for 20 years’ for removing headscarf

29 people were arrested in February for
protesting against Iran’s strict Islamic dress code

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Writing on her personal website, Shapark Shajarizadeh claimed
that she had been jailed for “opposing the compulsory hijab” and
“waving a white flag of peace in the street”.

There has as yet been no official comment from Iranian officials
and a spokesperson for the Iranian embassy in London could not
confirm the claim to The Independent.

Police arrested 29 women, including Shajarizadeh, in February
for removing their headscarves as part of a campaign known as
“White Wednesdays”, to protest against Iran’s
strict Islamic dress code.

A wave of anti-government demonstrations that swept Iran in
January was driven by concerns over rising living costs and a
stagnant economy, “but also provided an opening for Iranian women
to push for equal rights” says CNN.

It led to “Iran’s most robust debate about both women’s rights
and religious restrictions in the four decades since the fall of
the Shah”, The New Yorker reports.

Speaking to Amnesty International, Shajarizadeh’s lawyer, Nasrin
Sotoudeh, claims she was subjected to torture and beatings after
her arrest. She was released on bail in late April, but her
current whereabouts were unknown, says Time.

At the time of the arrests, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News
Agency reported that their actions were incited by foreigners,
saying those arrested were “deceived” into removing their
hijabs.

But Masih Alinejad, the Iranian activist behind the “White
Wednesday” social media campaign against mandatory hijabs, who is
now based in the US, told CNN that the movement has not been influenced
from abroad.

“The movement started inside Iran. It has nothing to do with
forces outside of Iran,” Alinejad said. “This is a campaign that’s
been going on for years and years. The women of Iran have long been
ignored. We’re just giving them a platform.”

The Conversation says the hijab “has an
important place in the power dynamic between society and the ruling
Iranian regime”. Women have been legally required to wear the hijab
since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and risk a fine or
imprisonment if they remove it in public.

A newly released report by the Iranian government suggests that
49% of the population are against the country’s compulsory hijab
law, although the real number is likely to be higher.