Iranian Women Rise Against the New Hijab Law with the Slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom”
A Criminal and Inhumane Law Ushering in a New Wave of Oppression Against Women
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, our November bulletin explores the latest developments concerning the enforcement of mandatory hijab, a policy that serves as a pretext for the broadest form of state-sponsored violence against women in Iran.
This edition is especially significant as, on November 30, the final text of the new mandatory hijab law was released by state-controlled media, triggering widespread public backlash, even among factions within the regime.
In this bulletin, we analyze the criminal and inhumane legislation titled “Protecting Families Through Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” in several sections.
Chronicle of Drafting the Repressive “Chastity and Hijab” Law
The initial draft of this law, comprising nine articles, was prepared by the judiciary after eight months of deliberation. This process began in the early days of the nationwide uprising of 2022, which was ignited by the murder of Jina (Mahsa) Amini at the hands of the oppressive morality police. The draft was submitted to the government on April 22, 2023.
Ebrahim Raisi’s administration, following its own review, expanded the bill under the title “Supporting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” into 15 articles and submitted it to the parliament for final approval on May 21, 2023.
On July 27, 2023, the regime’s parliament released a revised draft, finalized by parliamentary committees, consisting of 70 articles. However, fearing public backlash, the parliament avoided open discussion of the bill. Instead, it delegated its final approval for “experimental implementation” to the Judiciary Committee, invoking Article 85 of the Constitution.
The Judiciary Committee concluded its review of the 70-article Hijab bill on August 20, 2023. A month later, on September 20, 2023, the parliament approved the bill during an open session. The vote saw 152 MPs in favor, 34 opposed, and 7 abstentions. Following its approval by the Guardian Council, the Chastity and Hijab bill was slated for a three-year trial implementation.
After a year of back-and-forth negotiations with the parliament, the Guardian Council gave its final approval to the bill on September 21, 2024. This announcement was made by two members of the regime’s parliament, though there was no immediate action on its implementation.
On October 19, 2024, the Guardian Council spokesperson reiterated the approval of the bill. However, the details of the final version to be enforced remained unclear.
Finally, on November 27, 2024, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament, announced that the law would be officially issued on December 13, 2024. The finalized text of the Chastity and Hijab law was published in widely circulated newspapers and state media on November 30, 2024, ending speculation about its content.
A Criminal and Inhumane Law
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi described this law as “criminal and inhumane” and “strongly condemned” it:
The misogynistic “Chastity and Hijab” law is criminal and inhumane and is strongly condemned.
Through this oppressive law and by employing repressive forces, Khamenei seeks to subjugate society, particularly women who are at the forefront of the struggle against religious fascism.
Neither daily executions nor misogynistic laws will remedy this regime’s predicament.
Once again, I reiterate, “No to compulsory hijab, no to compulsory religion, and no to compulsory governance.”
Call to Confront the New Wave of Women’s Oppression
The NCRI Women’s Committee, in a statement, described this criminal law as being in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the conventions related to women’s rights.
Echoing Maryam Rajavi’s statement, the NCRI Women’s Committee views this “criminal and inhumane” law as a new phase in the regime’s efforts to crack down on Iranian women and girls, aimed at stifling uprisings.
NCRI Women’s Committee calls on all international organizations and relevant bodies to condemn this law. It urges all freedom-loving Iranian women to resist this oppressive and inhumane law under the banner of “Woman, Resistance, Freedom.”
The Bill Amounts to Gender Apartheid
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement on September 1, 2023, in which a group of UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts slammed Iran’s draft Hijab law. The experts said the bill could amount to “Gender Apartheid,” underlining global concern over the escalation of the Iranian regime’s suppression of women’s rights in Iran.
The Paradox of the Clerical Regime
For 46 years, despite the brutal repression of women under the guise of mandatory hijab, no formal law was ever established on the matter. However, after widespread opposition to the hijab law surged, especially following the nationwide uprising of 2022—ignited by the murder of a young woman over the imposition of the hijab, and fueled by calls for the overthrow of Khamenei and the regime—the clerical regime, having failed with its previous tactics, decided to introduce a law compelling all citizens to comply.
This law was crafted specifically to tighten the noose around women, forcing them into submission. Harsh punishments were not only imposed on women—the primary targets of this repression—but also on service institutions such as banks, hospitals, airports, shops, restaurants, and businesses that offer services to women not adhering to the hijab. The law also penalizes companies that employ these women, aiming to ensure compliance with the mandatory hijab rule, even if direct resistance from Iranian women couldn’t be subdued. The regime seeks to enforce it through families, employers, and other societal structures.
The clerical regime, on one hand, is compelled to enforce mandatory hijab as a means of preserving its grip on power. From the outset of its rule, the regime sought to bind society by imposing the hijab and suppressing the freedoms and rights of women, thereby reinforcing the foundations of its despotic regime. If it were to lose the last remaining symbol of its so-called “Islamic” identity, namely the chador, it would have no justification left for its claim to Islam or its absolute authority under the supreme leader.
For this reason, the regime’s leaders have consistently framed women’s resistance to mandatory dress codes as a security threat, linking it to alleged enemy conspiracies. On December 3, the heads of the judiciary and legislature highlighted the “security” and “identity” aspects of this issue, stressing the urgency of its implementation.
At the same time, all factions within the regime are acutely aware of the widespread social discontent and the volatile state of society. They fear that increasing pressure in this area could lead to consequences akin to the 2022 uprising, which could get out of hand. In this context, Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Parliament, cited the anniversary of the 2022 uprising as the reason for delaying the bill’s implementation.
Many have raised the question: Why is the regime, while grappling with multiple crises on domestic, regional, and global fronts, moving forward with the implementation of such a law? The answer is that precisely because of this crisis-ridden situation, the regime sees its only solution in further suppressing society, particularly through a new wave of repression against women.
This course of action stems from the regime’s deeply ingrained misogynistic nature and was entirely foreseeable. At the same time, it serves as a diversionary tactic by the clerics, aiming to limit the struggles of the Iranian people—especially the courageous women—to the fight against mandatory hijab, preventing them from pursuing broader goals of freedom and democracy for the entire society. However, this is a dangerous game with a double-edged sword, one that will ultimately backfire on the regime.
Widespread Social Backlash
As mentioned earlier, the announcement of the law’s enforcement has triggered widespread social backlash, even within the regime’s own factions. A closer examination of these reactions sheds further light on the regime’s paradox, as previously discussed.
- A former regime parliamentarian, speaking to ILNA on December 1, stated: “We see today that a bill aimed at ensuring the security of women, which has been on the government, judiciary, and parliament’s agenda for 13 years, still hasn’t been addressed in parliament. However, the hijab and chastity bill, which is a display of power by factions of parliament against women, takes priority and is passed. Unfortunately, the law that has been written has no connection to the public, and all efforts have been focused on putting women in a tight corner, preventing them from engaging in economic, cultural, social, and political activities. Most importantly, it creates an environment that will lead to further protests within society.”
- Etemad Daily on December 2 reported: “According to calculations by the Research Center of Parliament, the poverty line in Tehran for a three-person family this year is at least 20 million rials. Recently, the Minister of Labor also announced that at least 30 percent of Iran’s population lives below the poverty line. At the same time, estimates show that between 20 and 30 percent of the population is on the brink of falling below this line. This is in a situation where the minimum monthly wage in Iran is about 7 million rials. First, this means that the minimum fine for not wearing the hijab is higher than a worker’s monthly wage. Second, the enforcement of this law will push at least 20 percent of society below the poverty line due to fines for non-compliance.”
- A legal expert from Hamdeli Daily on December 2 added: “A law cannot be implemented through fear alone. If a law lacks justice and is not based on rationality, it will undoubtedly lead to a crisis. This law embodies all those conditions. It has no religious foundation and is based on the views of a small political group that lacks public support. Such a law is doomed to failure.”
- A Legal Expert, Setareh Sobh Daily, December 2: A belief has emerged among citizens that some laws are being drafted and passed with the intention of generating unconventional revenue from the public.
- A University Professor, Arman Emrooz Daily, December 2: They want to turn the people of Iran into spies and informants. Shopkeepers, doctors, and company or residential complex managers will be forced to hand over camera footage to the police so that artificial intelligence can identify women and fine them. Ride-hailing drivers will officially become informants on their passengers.
- Arman Melli Daily, December 3: The publication of the details of the Chastity and Hijab law has sparked widespread reactions… A law that, according to some, is even uncomfortable to read, let alone put into practice and enforce.
- Setareh Sobh Daily, December 3: In recent years, all similar measures have faced opposition, and in some cases, the insistence on enforcing hijab-related policies has been damaging to both the country and the people. The failed Gasht-e Ershad (morality police) program and the unrest it caused in the latter half of 2022 stand as the most glaring example of the failure of coercive measures, criminalizing, and imposing fines in cultural and religious matters.
- Etemad Daily, December 3: The scope of criminalization in this law, the mobilization of extensive financial resources for its enforcement, and its targeting of women—who make up half the population—… A law that addresses half of the population based on their gender and mandates the implementation of its provisions by all public, private, and governmental institutions in even the most trivial aspects of citizens’ lives… A law that deems children criminals and imposes heavy financial penalties on them, ultimately recommending welfare centers, while questioning parents’ legal right to raise their children. It also grants those living in the country as migrants or refugees the right to monitor the enforcement of the law. This represents an exceptional case in the country’s legislative history!!!
- Let us not forget that over 50% of eligible voters did not participate in elections; let us not forget the visible rift between the nation and the state; let us not forget that poverty affects half the population (according to the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament). Statistics show that around half of the citizens in Iran live in poverty. Let us not forget that the country’s energy infrastructure is on the brink of crisis; let us not forget that we need all available human resources to overcome the nation’s crises; let us not forget that we are now in a difficult historical moment both regionally and globally.
- A Former Member of the Regime’s Parliament, ILNA, December 5: Parliament should recognize the needs of society… not enact laws that do not address the priorities of the majority. With all the inflation, suffering, poverty, unemployment, social unrest, inflation, lack of medicine and healthcare, Parliament suddenly turns its attention to fining and punishing 9-year-old girls, with fines that are sometimes greater than the wages of their fathers. This becomes Parliament’s priority. Thus, when a child leaves school and her hijab slips, she must pay a fine equivalent to her father’s one-month salary.
Highlights from the New Hijab and Chastity Law
The final version of the bill, “Support for Families by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab,” was published on November 30, after months of revisions between the regime’s parliament and the Guardian Council. Spanning 74 articles and 5 chapters, this 15,000-word law targets multiple aspects of social life, solidifying a cultural revolution under the regime.
Through this law, the regime strengthens its base by offering new job, financial, and political opportunities. It also purges administrative and service sectors of non-compliant or rebellious employees. By expanding surveillance and control, the law heightens repression and gives legal backing to the activities of the regime’s operatives and informants, enabling greater societal monitoring.
Mobilization of All Ministries and Government Agencies with Assigned Duties
- While the regime claims that there is no “guidance patrol” included in this law, it has, in fact, assigned responsibilities to 12 ministries and 18 government agencies—spanning security, law enforcement, propaganda, and economic sectors. These include the Ministry of Culture and Guidance, state-run media (IRIB), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, municipalities, and the Ministry of Science. These agencies are tasked with reinforcing the institution of the family and promoting a “family-centered Islamic lifestyle.”
- In the third section of the law, numerous ministries, organizations, and local governments have been charged with actions that go beyond the scope of the guidance patrols, addressing the issue of improper veiling and non-compliance with hijab. The law stipulates that business owners—both online and offline—as well as leaders of groups, tours, camps, and platforms that share audio or visual content, will face penalties due to the presence of women opposing the mandatory hijab in their spaces, whether in real life or in the digital realm.
- According to Article 16, Clause 8 of this law, municipalities and rural districts across the country, in collaboration with councils and organizations such as the regime’s Islamic Propagation Organization, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the National Radio and Television, and the Committee for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, are required to “continuously monitor all public places under their management, including parks, cultural centers, historical sites, and public transportation, and take necessary actions to create an environment conducive to modesty and the hijab, as well as to ensure the active presence of virtue enforcers at these locations and provide support for them.”
- Many government employees, business owners, and entrepreneurs who fail to cooperate in identifying those opposing the mandatory hijab or refuse to enforce the law will face penalties, including a 5- to 6-year ban from public service. Business owners may also face fines equivalent to 2 to 6 months’ worth of their business earnings, while other individuals may face a fine of the fourth degree.
- If the managers of complexes and residential areas fail to provide surveillance footage to the authorities, they will be fined between 18 to 36 million tomans, with the amount of the fine increasing for subsequent offenses.
- Drivers of ride-hailing taxis are required to report passengers’ adherence to the mandatory hijab.
- According to Article 33 of this law, the condition for hiring and employing women in all government and state institutions, as well as even in non-governmental educational centers, is adherence to the culture of modesty and hijab. This applies not only within the workplace and educational environments but also outside of them and in the digital space. Additionally, the renewal of licenses for private institutions is conditional upon compliance with this rule.
- According to Note 5 of Article 42, if a public figure is convicted or has a legal case under this law, media outlets are prohibited from publishing any “related” interviews or articles about them. In cases of violation, media managers will be fined 920 million tomans.
- This bill emphasizes not only the violent treatment of women but also the expanded implementation of “gender segregation” in universities, administrative and educational centers, parks, recreational areas, and even in hospitals’ medical facilities.
Severe Penalties
- Under the new law, the punishment for the re-arrest of a citizen due to “nudity” can range from 10 to 15 years in prison, while crimes such as kidnapping, trafficking 20 kilograms of opium, and the purchase or sale of heavy weapons or explosives carry lesser penalties.
- The fines for non-compliance with the mandatory hijab (ranging from 5 to 165 million tomans) are imposed despite the fact that “the minimum wage in Iran is around 7 million tomans, and over 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.”
- According to this law, women who oppose the mandatory hijab will be fined between 5 and 165 million tomans for their first four offenses of appearing in public without it.
- Based on the penalty chart for offenses ranging from level one to level eight, published in the media, repeated violations (more than four instances of appearing without the mandatory hijab) will result in a level four fine (up to 330 million tomans). A “one-degree increase” means the fine will rise to level three (up to 500 million tomans).
- Women who appear without the mandatory hijab more than four times “in real life or in the digital realm” will face charges such as “promoting or advertising nudity, immorality, unveiling, or improper dress.” They will be sentenced to at least a 330 million toman fine.
- This penalty, “at the discretion of the judicial authority,” may also include a “ban on leaving the country for up to two years” and a “ban on online activity ranging from six months to two years.” “In subsequent violations,” the fine will be “increased by one level,” rising to 500 million tomans.
- Girls aged 9 to 15 are required to adhere to the mandatory hijab. In cases of “violating the hijab law,” they will be subject to fines and “educational” measures.
- According to Article 66 of this law, if a 13-year-old child mocks the regime’s mandatory hijab requirements two or more times while using social media, they will face imprisonment for 3 months to 1 year in a “reform and rehabilitation center,” a fine ranging from 330 to 500 million tomans, or other preventive and educational measures.
- The fines must be paid within 10 days after the final verdict. Failure to pay will result in various restrictions on access to government services, such as issuing or renewing passports, registering, or changing vehicle license plates, granting exit permits, and issuing or renewing driver’s licenses.
A Glance at the Regime’s Illegal Actions and Crimes Against Women in the Name of Enforcing the Mandatory Hijab
The clerical regime began its brutal and unlawful actions to impose the mandatory hijab as early as April 2023, even before the judiciary drafted the law’s initial proposal.
The head of the regime’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stated that the removal of the hijab was equivalent to an act of hostility against the system and its values, adding that those who engage in this “anomaly” would be punished. He further emphasized, “Removing the hijab is a violation of public decency, religious principles, and the law, and the enemy supports it.” (Fars News Agency – April 1, 2023)
The regime has imposed harsh, humiliating, and highly disproportionate punitive measures on women who refuse to comply with the mandatory hijab. These include sentencing women to wash corpses in morgues for one month, mandatory weekly visits to a psychologist for six months to treat “antisocial personality disorder,” one month of cleaning services for a medical intern, 270 hours of unpaid cleaning services at the Ministry of Interior, physical assaults on students at universities, the re-establishment of morality guidance patrols, the stationing of hijab enforcers at street corners and metro stations, fines, and the confiscation of vehicles where hijab violations are detected.
Women who defy the hijab law face bans from educational services and employment, while businesses providing services to uncovered women are shut down. Further measures include the killing of a 60-year-old female tourist, the murder of 17-year-old Armita Garavand, the brutal beating of two schoolgirls in the streets, and the shooting of Arzoo Badri, which left her paralyzed. In addition, several students have committed suicide due to the oppressive school policies on hijab. These are just some of the many facets of this brutal crackdown, which has become a daily nightmare for women and the people of Iran.
According to criminology and criminal law experts within the regime itself, the actions taken by the State Security Force—including the confiscation of vehicles, obtaining pledges from individuals regarding the hijab, shutting down shops, preventing people from entering public spaces, and sending text messages to the public—have no legal basis. All of these actions are unlawful.
Abuse of Religion by the Clerical Regime
In his speech, the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated, “The hijab is a clear religious ruling, and it cannot be disregarded.” These remarks continue the abuse of religion by Khomeini to impose the mandatory hijab and oppress women as a means of suppressing the entire society, a policy that has been in place since 1979.
In 1987, the National Council of Resistance of Iran passed the Plan on Women’s Rights and Freedoms, emphasizing women’s right to freely choose their attire. Maryam Rajavi has repeatedly stated in her speeches that anything imposed by force, coercion, or pressure is not part of Islam. As stated in the Quran, “There is no compulsion in religion.”
Furthermore, in her speech on International Women’s Day in March 2024, Mrs. Rajavi urged the women and girls of Iran to spread the slogan “No to compulsory religion, no to compulsory hijab, and no to compulsory governance” across Iran and the world.
It must be emphasized that nowhere in Islam does it say that someone has the right to harass, arrest, beat, or kill a woman because of her attire. Such inhuman actions are against Islam and the principles of being a Muslim.
According to all human rights laws and all religions, the right to choose one’s attire is a personal choice, and no individual or authority has the right to impose a specific dress code on any woman.
Resistance Units Respond to the New Repressive Hijab Law
In the days following the publication and enforcement of the new mandatory hijab law, defiant women, youth, and the Resistance Units across the country have refused to remain silent. Their bold response has manifested in daring operations targeting the regime’s centers of oppression, graffiti campaigns on city walls, and large-scale image projections.
On December 2, the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” was illuminated on high-rise buildings in Mesaq Street in Rasht, Towhid Ave. in Karaj, and Tabarsi Boulevard in Mashhad.
Simultaneously, operations were carried out against oppressive regime institutions, including the Bagheshahr Municipality in Kerman, the District 8 Municipality in Kermanshah, a Basij base in Eslamabad-e Gharb, and a Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Basij base in Qasr-e Qand. Additionally, dozens of banners bearing images of the regime’s leaders were set ablaze and destroyed.
These acts of defiance demonstrate a clear rejection of the regime’s intensified crackdown, signaling the unyielding resolve of the Resistance Units.