Iranian Parliament Approves Three-Year Trial Run Of Contentious Hijab Bill
The Iranian parliament has approved a controversial hijab bill aimed at tightening pressure on women who defy the mandatory dress code in public.
The Iranian parliament has approved a controversial hijab bill aimed at tightening pressure on women who defy the mandatory dress code in public.
On Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf announced that the bill was approved for a "three-year trial run" following coordination and a written confirmation by the judiciary.
The contentious bill's content was finalized by a committee of approximately 10 lawmakers making the best use of an obscure regulation known as Article 85. The only aspect voted upon was the duration for the trial implementation. During the Wednesday session, 152 MPs voted in favor, 34 voted against, and seven abstained.
Article 85 of the constitution enabled the parliament to effectively sideline opposition by restricting discussions on the bill to an internal committee. Under normal circumstances, the parliament cannot delegate its legislative authority. However, in necessary cases -- through Article 85 -- it can assign an internal committee to draft specific laws. The committee's decisions are then sent to the Guardian Council, whose members are chosen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. If the council deems the decisions to be in line with the Constitution, they can be implemented in the country for a specified period as determined by the parliament.
Initially comprising only 15 articles, the "Hijab and Chastity" bill was sent to the Islamic Consultative Assembly by the administration of Ebrahim Raisi. It has since expanded to include 70 articles. The bill was proposed after months of nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody last year, allegedly for breaching hijab rules.
The bill outlines a wide range of punishments and penalties for individuals who defy hijab laws or even criticize compulsory hijab rules, whether online or offline. Even mocking the hijab on social media or elsewhere is subject to specific fines, and offenders may face a ban on leaving the country for up to two years. Additionally, various organizations, including the state broadcaster, are mandated to regularly report on their "duties" related to hijab enforcement to the parliament, interior ministry, or the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
The approval of the legislation comes amid mounting concerns raised by human rights experts and organizations who argue that the Islamic Republic is employing the bill as a tool for systematic discrimination against women and girls, with the aim of coercing them into unwavering compliance with the government's dictates.
Legal experts say the hijab bill violates not only civil rights but also the Constitution and requires vast resources beyond the government’s means.
Human rights advocates have warned that the bill's implementation could lead to “increased violence, harassment, and arbitrary detentions of women and girls in Iran.” Both the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran have issued statements this month expressing their concerns over the potential consequences of this bill on the rights and freedoms of Iranian women.
“The legislation proposes increased fines and prison terms for women and girls found in breach of mandatory veiling provisions. It also proposes harsher punishments including travel bans, vehicle confiscations, the denial of education and public services, including medical facilities, and sanctions against businesses,” read the statement by the fact-finding mission.
The uprising sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 has made it increasingly difficult for the clerical regime to enforce the mandatory Islamic dress code. Since the beginning of the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement, tens of thousands of girls and women have shed their compulsory hijab. The regime seeks to criminalize hijab defiance, but no branch of government wants to solely shoulder the responsibility for complications of such a provocative and risky action in society.
While Ebrahim Raisi, the man known as the ‘Butcher Of Tehran’ for his history of gross human rights violations, was addressing the UN with an onslaught of regime propaganda including claiming the country is an “unparalleled” beacon of women’s rights, Israel’s ambassador to the UN was physically escorted off site for protesting Raisi’s presence.
Ambassador Gilad Erdan held a poster calling for women’s rights in Iran, showing the face of Mahsa Amini, the face of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement after her death in morality police custody last year, and was forcefully removed from the United Nations by security.
Erdan was the only member of the UN General Assembly to protest. In contrast, in March, more than 100 diplomats from 40 Western countries and allies including Japan walked out of a speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the top UN human rights forum in protest over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The boycott by envoys from the European Union, the United States, Britain and others left only a few diplomats in the room including envoys from Syria, China and Venezuela.
Soon after, in April, the United States, Britain, Albania and Malta walked out on Russia's envoy for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, who the International Criminal Court wants to arrest on war crimes charges, as she spoke by video to UN Security Council members.
Emboldened, Raisi - who as a prosecutor, took part in the 1988 mass executions that killed some 5,000 political prisoners in Iran - told the UN on Tuesday that the United States should prove its "goodwill and determination" to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact as months of indirect talks between the long-time foes have led nowhere. This was after he publicly stated that the US should "stop interfering in the countries of the Persian Gulf and other regions in the world and mind their own business".
Raisi was speaking on the back of a prisoner swap which saw five US convicted Iranians exchanged for five wrongly held US-Iranian citizens, in addition to $6bn in frozen Iranian funds freed up from South Korea.
In a show of appeasement to the barrage of criticism levied to the Biden administration for the deal, which critics say opens the door to yet more hostage diplomacy by Iran, putting further Americans at risk, the administration levied more sanctions on seven individuals and four entities in Iran, China, Russia, and Turkey for their roles in Iran's UAV and military aircraft development.
However, while Raisi was addressing the world’s leaders, Russia’s Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, who is in Tehran, announced that “relations between Russia and Iran in the field of defense are developing dynamically. The number of meetings at different levels has increased. The relationship is developing well,” suggesting the $6bn in released funds will be used to fund the regime’s military and nuclear development.
Raisi is reveling in the PR potential of the visit as the world watches. Only Monday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he denied sending weapons to Russia, in spite of extensive evidence otherwise which has led to multiple nations including the US and UK, issuing sanctions against Iran.
While the Russian defense minister speaks of burgeoning ties from Tehran, Raisi said from New York, “We are against the war in Ukraine”, while evidence has also shown the two nations building munitions factories together in Russia.
Despite the global backlash for Raisi’s welcome in the UN, the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) has gone ahead with its invitation to meet with him in New York. Iranian actress and rights activist Nazanin Boniadi, a member of CFR, refused to attend the private meeting.
“Some say that these meetings allow us to hold the feet of dictators to the fire, but the past 44 years have shown us that not only are these meetings futile, the Islamic Republic also uses them to legitimize themselves on the global stage,” she wrote on X.
“Continuing the same practices and expecting tyrants to change their behavior seems completely irrational,” she added. “Democratic institutions hold the key to tipping the balance of power in favor of those risking everything for freedom. If you afford your members the opportunity to meet dictators behind closed doors, then at least offer them the chance to also hear from their opponents in the open.”
The scary Mahsa anniversary coincided with the 4th day of a long weekend many Iranians spent either at the Caspian seaside, or at other scenic places around Iran as the last opportunity for families to have a good time before the schools re-open on September 23.
Some social media users argued that activists and foreign-based opposition figures could have chosen and advertised another date closer to the actual anniversary. Some said that a September 23 event could have created havoc as the entire country usually turns into a big traffic jam.
Furthermore, the anniversary coincided with an embarrassing setback for Iran's national wrestling team during an international championship competition in Bulgaria. The Iranian team, historically one of the world's best since the 1950s, suffered a blow when its captain, Hassan Yazdani, lost to US Champion David Taylor. The outcome was filled with anger and tears within the Iranian team's camp.
Interestingly, in Iran, people celebrated the defeat. It was evident that they had little affection for Yazdani and his coach, both of whom were regime insiders who never supported the 2022 protests. The Islamic Republic undoubtedly appreciated the distraction.
On Monday, a bigger distraction came from Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr Football Club arrived in Iran for the Asian Football Clubs (AFC) Champions League competitions to face Iran's hugely popular leading football team Persepolis.
Thousands of Iranians were running around to follow the Saudi team and its internationally acclaimed star Cristiano Ronaldo across Tehran and almost occupied his hotel on the slopes of Mount Alborz. The hotel is located on top of a hill and fans climbed rocks to reach the hotel before the bus could drive around the winding road around the hill to make it to the top.
People came as far away as Isfahan. An elderly lady of Isfahan told reporters she travelled the long distance only to be able to judge Ronaldo's character, otherwise she knew very well that he was a good player. Her daughter told reporters what a staunch supporter her mother was.
A young boy was filmed crying outside the hotel because the crowed did not allow him to get as close to Ronaldo as he wished. Later, thanks to Al-Nassr's avid social media team, the boy and his grandfather were taken to Ronaldo's room. The athlete signed the jersey the boy was wearing as well as a new jersey. The boy is now thousands of dollars richer. His grandfather spent millions of rials to get a room for himself and his grandson at the same hotel with the Al-Nassr team.
A video surfaced on social media showing Ronaldo hugging a disabled woman who took the trouble to go and see him. A good publicity stunt, and again another victory for Al-Nassr, and its social media team.
Again, the distraction was a blessing for the Islamic Republic. Many Iranians lived in a parallel world for two days that did not care about insignificant news including the release of US hostages, the freeing of Iran's blocked assets, President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to New York where none of his entourage had an umbrella in the rainy afternoon and they had to borrow one for Raisi while tens of aides walked wet and tired under the afternoon shower.
The worst embarrassment, however, came at the airport, where Persepolis's manager presented two silk carpets to Ronaldo as gifts. The manager was harshly criticized by the press for the event as he has been hiding from the team members for weeks as he was unable to pay them. Later, he explained that the team had not paid for the carpets and that they were a gift from a major carpet seller. But no one in Iran believes such comments by officials.
The match on Tuesday, evening, if anyone is interested, ended two-nil for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr. Both goals were scored by Saudi players, not Ronaldo.
He avoided the topic of the 2022 anti-regime protests almost entirely and referred to it only indirectly as the West’s worst media assault in history.
Raisi was speaking only a few days after the first anniversary of the killing of Mahsa Amini, which sparked widespread protests across Iran beginning in September 2022.
More than 500 were killed, 22 thousand arrested and at least 7 executed in the brutal crackdown that followed.
“The previous year was a year of victory for the Iranian people,” Raisi claimed brazenly, spinning last year’s events in Iran in the most spectacular fashion.
Images coming out of Iran last week, told a very different story: thousands of armed security forces and plain-clothes thugs had been stationed all over the capital Tehran, in anticipation of protests on the anniversary, intimidating passersby and preventing any gatherings in the streets.
Raisi also lambasted the United States for ‘breaking a promise’ and leaving the JCPOA. He repeated the claim that Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful, despite accumulating well over 100 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
"The Iranian nation prides itself on playing, thanks to the Islamic Revolution, the biggest role in unmasking the imperialists in the East and West," Raisi said, while the regime has supplied hundreds of kamikaze drones to Russia and exports more than million barrels of oil to China daily at discounted prices.
"The world is transitioning into a novel international order, and the project to Americanize the world has failed," he claimed.
Despite Iran's 12-year involvement in Syria's civil war and supply of weapons to Houthi forces in Yemen, Raisi said, “Our unambiguous position as the Islamic Republic: We do not stand nor support any war anywhere, not in Europe nor anywhere,”
On Monday, the UN nuclear chief said he had asked to meet Raisi on the sidelines of the General Assembly to try to reverse Iran’s decision to remove monitoring devices set up by IAEA and expel “a very sizable chunk” of the agency’s inspectors.
Rafael Grossi, Director of UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, warned that such measures make it impossible for IAEA to verify the nature of Iran's nuclear program.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Americans opposed to the Islamic Republic held a rally ahead of Raisi’s appearance outside the UN headquarters in New York City.
The protesters had banners and posters portraying the Islamic regime's crimes in its 45-year history – including messages targeting Raisi and his role in those crimes.
Raisi was a member of the infamous Death Committee which oversaw summary execution of at least two thousand Iranian political prisoners in 1988.