Woman Whipped 74 Times for Not Wearing Hijab
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A woman in her 30s in Tehran, Iran, was sentenced to 74 lashes and a fine for refusing to wear a hijab, according to a report by the British Daily Telegraph.
On the 7th (local time), the Telegraph reported that an Iranian court had executed 74 lashes on a 33-year-old woman, Roya Heshmati, for violating public morals by not wearing a hijab in public places, according to the law and Islamic Sharia law.
The court also imposed a fine of 12 million rials (approximately $285) on Heshmati, the court said.
All women in Iran have been legally required to cover their necks and heads since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. However, it is unusual in Iran for a woman to be lashed for not wearing a hijab.
Heshmati’s lawyer Majiar Tatay told the reformist media Shargh that “Heshmati was arrested by the authorities for posting a picture without a hijab on SNS last April.” Heshmati was reportedly detained for 11 days after her arrest.
According to local media, the Iranian court initially sentenced Heshmati to 13 years and 9 months in prison along with 74 lashes and a fine. After Heshmati’s side appealed, the Tehran Appeals Court 14th Division canceled the prison sentence but maintained the lashing and fine, local media reported.
Meanwhile, Iran has been legally required to cover the neck and head since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Iranian authorities have been stepping up crackdowns since the hijab opposition protests triggered by the suspicious death of a Kurdish woman Makhsa Amini, who refused to wear a hijab in 2022. However, it is unusual for a woman to be lashed for not wearing a hijab.
By. Sung Kyu Choi
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