Continued Crackdown on Opponents of Mandatory Hijab; Afsaneh Bayegan Sentenced to 'Treatment for Mental Illness'

The judiciary has sentenced Iranian actress Afsaneh Bayegan to imprisonment and mandatory visits to psychological centers for treatment of what has been termed 'anti-family personality mental illness,' following the cases of Azadeh Samadi and Leila Bolukat. Morteza Kouhian, a producer and communications law expert, tweeted on Wednesday, July 19, that Ms. Bayegan was sentenced to 'two years of imprisonment' by the Second Criminal Court of Tehran for wearing a hat instead of the mandatory hijab. Branch 1088 of the Second Criminal Court of Tehran has also imposed other penalties, including 'weekly visits to a psychological center and obtaining a health certificate,' 'two years of travel ban,' 'reading a book and summarizing its handwritten notes within two months,' and 'prohibition of direct or indirect use of social media (by disabling the SIM cards and phone lines used by the accused or others for two years).' According to this report, Afsaneh Bayegan's imprisonment has been suspended for five years. Mr. Kouhian emphasized that the Second Criminal Court of Tehran 'competes daily with its previous rulings in using shocking and vile language,' adding that the ruling issued against Afsaneh Bayegan not only 'insults, defames, and humiliates' her but also directly 'insults the House of Cinema.' During the nationwide protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police, several artists and actors have shared images of themselves without the mandatory hijab in support of these protests. Some of these artists, including Katayoun Riahi, Hengameh Ghaziani, Afsaneh Bayegan, and Taraneh Alidoosti, have been detained for a period or summoned and interrogated by security agencies. However, the opposition to the mandatory hijab continues. Fatemeh Haqiqatjou, a women's rights activist and former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic believes that if it retreats on the hijab issue, it must also retreat on other demands. As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death approaches, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, expressed concern on Monday during a press conference in response to Voice of America's questions regarding reports of the enforcement of 'mandatory hijab' by the Islamic Republic through what is called 'morality police,' stating that the Islamic Republic has not learned from recent protests.