Judiciary Spokesman: Protesters Against Mandatory Hijab Have Used Industrial Substances

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the judiciary, stated: Women who have removed their headscarves in protest against mandatory hijab in the streets are either 'unaware and expressing regret' or individuals who have 'consumed industrial substances,' and some are 'guided' in their actions. The first deputy of the judiciary warned on Sunday, February 4, during a weekly meeting with reporters: 'Those who act in an organized and structured manner should know that heavy cases will be formed against them, causing problems for themselves and their families.' He expressed ignorance about the number of women arrested in connection with the 'No to Mandatory Hijab' campaign, saying: 'Usually, if they have not committed a crime in an organized manner, they do not remain in detention.' In recent weeks, photos and videos of women and girls in Tehran and various cities in Iran have circulated, showing them removing their headscarves in public in protest against the mandatory hijab and silently waving them on sticks. These protests have gained widespread attention on social media under the hashtag '#Girls_of_Revolution_Street.' Previously, the Tehran police announced the arrest of 29 of these protesters, describing them as 'deceived.' In response to the arrests, Mohseni Ejei said: 'There are times when a girl or woman, due to the influences exerted, does not know what she has done. After discussions, she says she did not know what it was and expresses regret. There is no strictness towards these individuals, and they are released with a commitment, as those who are single and wish to marry or continue their education and work are not treated harshly, and no record is made against them.' This senior judicial official added that 'there are some who, unfortunately, engage in inappropriate actions after consuming industrial substances, which is evident. However, some are guided to do these things. Legal measures will be issued for the crimes of these individuals.' The judiciary spokesman did not mention the extent or type of punishment for these individuals. According to Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code, 'Women who appear in public without proper hijab will be sentenced to imprisonment from 10 days to two months or fined from 50,000 to 500,000 rials.' Bahman Keshavarz, a lawyer, explained to Etemad Online that 'the necessity of proportionality of the issued order with the attributed accusation is a well-established issue, and issuing an inappropriate order itself is a violation and may even have a criminal title in certain conditions.' Mousa Ghazanfari Abadi, the head of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, also stated on Saturday, February 3, that he would deal harshly with those he called 'lawbreakers' protesting against the mandatory hijab. Meanwhile, some officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran describe the protests against the mandatory hijab by Iranian women as a result of the government's mistakes in dealing with the hijab issue. Nahid Tajeddin, a representative from Isfahan in the parliament, tweeted on Friday, February 2, that 'the girls of Revolution Street are the same girls who have been waiting for years for admission quotas in entrance exams, for employment, for political participation, for managerial positions, for entry into stadiums, for live music performances on stage, and... behind the gates of gender discrimination. It is us who have caused this.' The Strategic Studies Center of the Presidency: 49% say hijab is personal. Concurrently with the statements of judicial and law enforcement officials about dealing with the protest movement against mandatory hijab, two reports from 'the seminar on the pathology of policies implemented regarding hijab in the country' in 2014 by the Strategic Studies Center of the Presidency and also the analysis of data from the third 'Survey of Values and Attitudes of Iranians' by the National Projects Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in 2015 have been published, indicating an increase in the number of individuals who consider hijab to be optional. The Strategic Studies Center of the Presidency noted the results of two surveys conducted by the Iranian Student Polling Agency in 2006 and 2014 and research on the values and attitudes of Iranians, stating that in 1974 - four years before the Islamic Revolution - three-quarters of the population (75%) preferred to have a veiled spouse, while 7% preferred a non-veiled spouse. According to this research, in recent years, 'at least 25% of the population has shown a clear preference for not having a veiled spouse.' Additionally, nearly half of the respondents to the 2014 survey believed that hijab is a personal issue and that the government should not interfere. This figure was over 34% in 2006, indicating a 15% increase in the number of people who believe the government should not interfere in hijab matters during this period. Conversely, about 40% of respondents believe that there should be action against improper hijab, a figure that was over 55% in 2006. This means that the number of those who believe in government intervention has decreased by 15% during this time. In another part of the report, it emphasizes that 'it can be concluded that in 2014, over 41% considered hijab to be a personal matter and did not see compliance as obligatory,' stating that 'demanding the implementation of desirable and official patterns of women's dress in a society where at least 41 to 50% consider hijab to be a personal and optional matter is very difficult.' According to this report, the best situation for clothing and makeup was during the ninth government from 2007 to 2009, and after that, the situation for clothing and makeup has seen a downward trend since 2009, with compliance with the legal requirements for clothing dropping by 10% by 2013 compared to 2007, and the number of those wearing chador also decreasing by 10%.