Further Protests Against Mandatory Hijab in Tehran; Nasrin Sotoudeh: 'Girl of Revolution Street' Released

A few days after reports of the arrest and release of a well-known protester against mandatory hijab, referred to as the 'Girl of Revolution Street', images and reports of other girls openly protesting against the mandatory hijab have emerged on social media. On Tuesday, February 9, an image was shared on social media showing a girl near Revolution Street in Tehran attaching her headscarf to a stick and standing on one of the electricity transmission posts. According to the published photos, a green cloth was also attached to the stick on which this girl placed her headscarf. Following this event, other images were shared on social media showing several other women in various areas of Tehran taking similar actions. Earlier in January, a video of a young girl on Revolution Street had been published, where she attached her headscarf to a stick and waved it like a flag while standing on an electricity post. This action was interpreted on social media as a protest against the mandatory hijab, and the video and photos received widespread attention. Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist, announced on her Facebook page on Sunday, January 21, that she had followed up on the situation of this girl and had visited the location where the girl had taken this action. This lawyer and human rights activist noted in her local investigation that this girl had been 'briefly released after her arrest and then re-arrested' on that day. Ms. Sotoudeh stated that she still does not know the name of this girl, adding that 'she has a 19-month-old child and is 31 years old'. Some social media users have identified this woman as Vida Mohammadi, but no other reports have confirmed this claim. Meanwhile, Nasrin Sotoudeh announced on Sunday, February 8, that she had been released. Ms. Sotoudeh wrote on her Facebook page: 'During my visit to follow up on the case of the Girl of Revolution Street at the prosecutor's office, the office manager said that she had been released.' However, officials from the judiciary have not officially commented on this matter. Nasrin Sotoudeh emphasized that this woman 'has done nothing to deserve legal prosecution' and expressed hope that she would not face 'harassment' through 'legal fabrication'. On February 4, Amnesty International called for the immediate release of the young woman known as the 'Girl of Revolution Street', describing the mandatory hijab in Iran as 'discriminatory and humiliating'. After the 1979 revolution, wearing the hijab became mandatory for women, and a law was later passed regarding this matter. According to Islamic Penal Code, 'women who appear in public without proper hijab will be sentenced to imprisonment from 10 days to 2 months or fined from 50,000 to 500,000 rials'. In this regard, Iranian officials have launched a plan called 'Guidance Patrol' years ago to counter what they call the spread of 'improper hijab and various Western-style clothing' in Iran, one of the duties of which is to confront what they consider 'inappropriate' attire. However, according to some judicial and law enforcement officials, this controversial plan, which has many opponents, has not been very effective. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, is one of the judicial officials who stated in September 2016 that it is not possible to 'assign officers' to every family and individual in the country and that 'repressive' actions regarding hijab in Iran have been ineffective. In August of the same year, Hossein Sajjadi-Nia, the then-commander of the Greater Tehran Police, stated that 'the current situation of hijab and chastity is not befitting an Islamic society, and monitoring the hijab situation over the past 15 years leads us to conclude that the situation has gradually worsened'. Meanwhile, Hossein Rahimi, the head of Greater Tehran Police, said last month: 'Those who do not observe Islamic decorum and have made mistakes in this area will no longer go to detention centers, and no cases will be filed against them... rather, educational sessions will be held to correct their behavior.' According to Mr. Rahimi, '121 educational sessions have been held in this area this year, and over 7,900 people have been trained in these classes.'