Conviction of One of the 'Girls of Revolution Street' to Two Years in Prison

The Tehran prosecutor announced the issuance of a 24-month 'prison sentence' for one of the 'Girls of Revolution Street' on charges of 'encouraging people to commit corruption through the unveiling of hijab.' Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi stated that serious action would be taken against 'structural violations' in the area of hijab. He made this statement during the seventh session of the Tehran prosecutor's office this year regarding 'social harms,' attended by several military commanders, judicial officials, and government authorities. Jafari Dolatabadi did not mention the name of the woman who had unveiled in Revolution Street but said she was sentenced to 24 months in prison for 'encouraging people to commit corruption through unveiling in public and appearing in public places without proper hijab.' This judicial official also criticized the 'suspension of 21 months of this punishment for five years,' adding that 'the suspension of the court ruling in matters against chastity is contrary to paragraph p of Article 47 of the Islamic Penal Code, and the Tehran prosecutor's office is pursuing the violation of this ruling.' He also mentioned the case of the first woman who was prosecuted for protesting against mandatory hijab in Iran, stating that 'according to forensic medicine, she requires long-term medication under the supervision of a psychiatrist.' Previously, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the spokesperson for the judiciary, had stated that women who removed their headscarves in protest against mandatory hijab were either 'unaware and expressed regret' or were individuals who 'consumed industrial substances,' and some acted 'under guidance.' The campaign known as 'Girls of Revolution Street' emerged following similar campaigns such as 'White Wednesdays' and 'Secret Freedoms,' all challenging women's mandatory hijab in Iran. The identity of the first woman, Vida Mohammadi, who stood on a platform in Revolution Street in December of this year, waving her headscarf tied to a stick like a flag in protest against mandatory hijab, has been announced. The identity of the second woman, Narges Hosseini, who also publicly protested in the same manner and became known as the 'second girl of Revolution Street,' has been reported; she was released from prison at the end of Bahman after several days of detention. Although several journalists and civil activists in Iran have published images of Ms. Hosseini's release on their Twitter accounts, there has been no mention of the bail amount or conditions set for them. However, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Narges Hosseini's lawyer, had previously announced that her client's bail had been reduced from 500 million tomans to 60 million tomans and that she would be released. Following the publication of other images and videos of public protests against mandatory hijab in various cities in Iran, the Tehran police announced on Bahman 12 that they had arrested 29 individuals who had removed their headscarves in protest against mandatory hijab. Numerous reports of violent treatment of detained women in detention centers and the release of a video showing violent police action against one of these women in Tehran as they pulled her down from the platform have sparked a wave of criticism in Iran. Nevertheless, police and judicial officials have emphasized the continuation of actions against women who unveil as a form of protest. Jafari Dolatabadi stated that 'tolerance for improper hijab should be limited to areas where values are not violated, but serious action must be taken against structural violators in the area of hijab.' According to him, 'removing the hijab, even partially in this manner, is not only contrary to Islamic principles regarding the necessity of hijab but also violates the law, and it is akin to someone today saying they want to drink alcohol openly in the streets.' The Tehran prosecutor described the 'removal' of hijab from Iranian society as 'a project and investment by the enemy' and referred to the case of an Iranian-American man and his wife regarding the 'cultural transformation of society.' He stated that the main objective of the accused in this case, whose names were not mentioned, was 'cultural transformation and promotion of corruption, attracting individuals to artistic inclinations accompanied by vulgarity, and using them instrumentally for the predefined goals of the enemy to spread vulgarity and normalize the desecration of religious sanctities and blackening the image of the sacred Islamic Republic system using artistic forms and comprehensive cultural aggression.' Jafari Dolatabadi also added that the 'enemy' has put the project of 'politicizing hijab' on its agenda to portray 'the issue of chastity and hijab as women's opposition to the Islamic Republic.' He also announced the issuance of a written order from the Tehran prosecutor's office to 'stop the cars of drivers who lack proper hijab.' The Tehran prosecutor stated that the police must 'perform their duty' in this regard, adding that 'the continuation of police action against structural violators in the area of hijab is the Tehran prosecutor's order to the police... and according to police reports, in the past two months, 3,120 vehicles have been seized in relation to unveiling, harassment of women, noise pollution, and similar issues.' He also called for 'management' of the cyberspace and social networks that 'act against hijab and public chastity.' The statements of this judicial official regarding actions against protesters of mandatory hijab come at a time when some political activists and members of parliament describe these protests as a result of the strictness imposed after the revolution in this area. Nahid Tajeddin, a representative from Isfahan in parliament, tweeted on Friday, Bahman 13, 'The girls of Revolution Street are the same girls who have been waiting for years for admission quotas in university entrance exams, for employment, for political participation, for holding managerial positions, for attending stadiums, for performing live music on stage, and... behind the gates of gender discrimination. It is our fault that we are in this situation.' Nahid Khodakarami, a member of the Tehran City Council, also tweeted that 'the least right that can be granted to a woman is the choice of hijab. We must believe in the current generation and, before it is too late, let them manage their affairs.' Soheila Jelodarzadeh, a member of parliament, also stated that the protest movement of these women is the result of 'unnecessary constraints,' 'pressures,' and 'the wrong behavior' of the government.