Maryam Bani Razi sentenced to 8 months in prison and 148 lashes
The head of the mullahs’ Judiciary has announced that removing the veil is considered hostility to the regime and its values. Opponents of compulsory veiling who engage in such acts will be punished “without leniency.”
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeii emphasized in the first session of the Supreme Judiciary Council in the new Persian year, held on April 1st, that “law enforcement officers are obliged to deal with any proven crime and any kind of deviation that is against the law and Sharia, which occurs in public…, and refer the cases to the relevant judicial authorities. Judicial authorities should also be careful in dealing with such cases.” (The state-run Fars News Agency – April 1, 2023)
The head of the Judiciary also said during a meeting with the people of Isfahan province that “in case of identifying and arresting such perpetrators, the Judiciary will deal with this issue specially and outside of its regular working hours. Anyone involved in any way, including advisors, deputies, instigators, and partners in these issues, will be strictly prosecuted without any leniency.”
Ejeii added that removing the veil is an example of violating public chastity and the principles of Sharia and law, which the enemy supports. (The state-run Fars News Agency – April 1, 2023)
Statement of the Interior Ministry
The clerical regime’s Ministry of Interior announced on March 30 that “there will be no retreat or tolerance in the principles and regulations of religion and traditional values.” The statement emphasized that “the veil is an indisputable religious necessity and will always be one of the practical principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Earlier, Hossein Jalali, a member of the regime’s parliament, also announced on March 26 the finalization of an “entirely intelligent” plan called “chastity and veil,” which included penalties such as fines ranging from 500,000 to 3 billion tomans, revocation of driving licenses, revocation of passports, and internet ban for celebrities and those who own channels and websites.
Mullah Jalali had said that this plan has been presented to the mullahs’ Supreme Leader and the Judiciary after 300 meetings with the Cultural Revolution Council and the National Security Council.
In this regard, the Fars news agency has written that the “Islamic regime” has a “serious duty” regarding the issue of the veil and opposition to the compulsory veil.
Last Friday, all Friday Prayer leaders dedicated parts of their sermons to the veil issue and took steps to incite the public against opponents of compulsory veiling.
Sentencing of a woman to 148 lashes
Maryam Bani Razi, a nurse from Qom, was also sentenced by the court to more than 148 lashes, eight months in prison, and two years of exclusion from working in government and public services for failing to observe compulsory veiling.
In December 2022, a video of Maryam Bani Razi was released in a bank without a compulsory hijab. The person who recorded the video said that despite her “warnings,” the woman still did not wear a veil, and bank employees provided her with services without any qualms.
Campaign against women opposing compulsory veiling
In recent months, especially during the Nowruz holidays, numerous reports of the closure of tourist centers, restaurants, cafes, pharmacies, and even medical clinics due to the issue of hijab have been published.
During the current Nowruz holidays, videos of violent confrontations against Iranian women who oppose compulsory veiling were circulated on social media. In addition, the trend of closing and sealing public places by Iranian surveillance and law enforcement agencies has increased concurrently with the month of Ramadan.
The chief prosecutor of Isfahan province also announced on Friday the arrest of five employees of a tourist center in Varnazeh Isfahan on charges of “obstructing the activities of forces forbidding evil and promoting good.”
On Saturday, April 1, 2023, the state-run Tasnim News Agency reported the closure of one of the tourist sites in this city due to what he called “acceptance of unveiled individuals.”
A video was also released on social media on Friday, March 31, 2023, showing a plainclothes officer emptying a yogurt container on the head of two unveiled Iranian women who had entered a store in Shandiz, Mashhad.
Another social media video on Saturday, April 1, 2023, showed security forces preventing women who opposed compulsory veiling from entering the historic Taq-e Bostan complex in Kermanshah.
