The clerical regime’s parliament adopted the controversial and suppressive Hijab and Chastity Bill in an open session on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the mullahs’ parliament, said the bill had been ratified in coordination with the Iranian Judiciary. The Judicial Branch declared its agreement in writing to the parliament. One hundred and fifty-two (152) members of the parliament voted in favor, 34 against, and seven abstained.
The new suppressive Hijab and Chastity Bill will be enforced for three years on a trial basis after being approved by the Guardian Council.
A group of UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts slammed the suppressive Hijab and Chastity Bill in a statement on September 1, and said it could amount to “Gender Apartheid.”
The experts urged the Iranian authorities to “reconsider the compulsory hijab legislation in compliance with international human rights law, and to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights for all women and girls in Iran.”
Moussa Ghazanfarabadi, a mullah and the chair of the parliament’s Legal Commission, told the open session: “The bill submitted to the parliament by the government and through the Judiciary contained 15 articles. It did not consider cultural issues. Some 35 articles were included which deal with cultural issues and predict the obligations of the executive apparatus in culture building and confronting the enemy’s psychological war. “
Ghazanfarabadi explained, “The bill has five chapters. The first chapter deals with generalities; the second chapter defines the general duties of executive organs. The third chapter defines the special obligations of executive agencies like the national radio and television and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The fourth chapter outlines the general duties and social responsibilities, and the fifth chapter outlines the crimes and offenses. All agencies are obliged to follow up the offenses and file cases with the Judiciary.”
Fearing public reactions, the clerical regime’s parliament refrained from debating the bill in its open session and invoked an article of the constitution that permits the formation of a committee to approve legislation for “experimental” implementation.
