Roshanak Molaii Alishah, a 25-year-old woman residing in Tehran, was released from Qarchak Prison in Varamin, southeast of Tehran, on November 23, 2024, after enduring 14 lashes from a sentence originally set at 74 lashes. Her punishment stems from charges related to “violating public chastity” for not observing the mandatory hijab.
The clerical regime has faced sharp criticism for the inhumane sentence, highlighting the broader crackdown on women’s rights and freedoms in Iran.
Timeline of Events
On October 31, 2024, a video circulated on social media showing Roshanak Molaii Alishah confronting a male motorcyclist who had sexually harassed her in public. After defending herself, she posted footage of the incident online. Instead of addressing the perpetrator, authorities focused on Molaii’s choice to forgo the mandatory hijab in the video.
The Tehran police subsequently announced her arrest for violating the hijab laws. While the motorcyclist faced charges of “harassment,” Molaii was treated more harshly. She was summoned to Tehran’s Branch 1097 Guidance Court on November 19, 2024, and sentenced via video conference to 74 lashes and a two-year travel ban.
Molaii’s time spent in detention was used to reduce her flogging sentence under Iran’s penal system, where three lashes are deducted for each day served. On November 23, 2024, the reduced punishment of 14 lashes was carried out at Qarchak Prison, infamous for its harsh conditions and human rights violations.
Previous Arrests and Persecution
Roshanak Molaii Alishah has faced repeated persecution by the Iranian regime for her activism. During the November 2022 nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, she was arrested in Tehran on September 27, 2022. Initially detained in Evin Prison, she was later transferred to Qarchak Prison. After enduring five months of incarceration, she was pardoned and released in February 2023.
Her recent case underscores the Iranian regime’s systemic repression of women, using punitive measures like flogging to enforce strict dress codes and gender apartheid policies.
International Response and Call to Action
Despite evidence in the viral video clearly showing harassment and violence against Roshanak Molaii Alishah, the regime targeted her for resisting and publicizing the incident. Rights groups have condemned her arrest and flogging as part of the Iranian regime’s gender apartheid policies.
