The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday condemned Iran for mandatory enforcement of hijab law.
The UN was reacting to reports which stated that Iran will increasingly enforce the State’s strict mandatory hijab laws for women and girls.
UN also said it is against the report of new draft bill that would impose severe punishments on those found guilty of violating the law.
This was contained in statement by the High Commissioner’s spokesperson, Jeremy Laurence at a news conference in Geneva. He said the office had received widespread reports from Iran of uniformed and plainclothes police violently cracking down on women and girls under the hijab laws.
According to Laurence, “There have been reports of arrests and harassment of women and girls. Many between the ages of 15 and 17.
He said the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on April 21 the creation of a new body to enforce existing mandatory hijab laws. He stated that Corps are trained to do so “in a more serious manner” in public spaces.
According to him, “Hundreds of businesses have been closed for failing to enforce the hijab laws. And surveillance cameras are being used to identify women drivers not complying with the laws. The human rights advocacy group Amnesty International also noted the practice in a report last month.
Laurence also condemned a proposed law that calls for tougher punishments for violation of the mandatory hijab law. He noted that violators risk up to 10 years in prison, including flogging and fines.
“Corporal punishment constitutes a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. And any detention imposed for the exercise of fundamental freedoms is arbitrary under international law,” Laurence said.
However, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the proposed law should be shelved. Speaking through his spokesperson, Turk called on the Iranian Government to eliminate all forms of gender-based discrimination and violence.
The High Commissioner called for revision and repeal of any harmful laws. He stated that policies and practices should be enacted to bring them “in line with international human rights norms and standards.”
The UN Human Rights Office also called for the release of 33-year-old rapper Toomaj Salehi. Salehi was sentenced to death this week for supporting nationwide protests in 2022. The protest was sparked off by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Amini was arrested for alleged violations of the hijab laws.
Source: VOA News
