Maryam Shariyatmadari Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Protesting Mandatory Hijab

Maryam Shariyatmadari, one of the protesters against mandatory hijab in Iran, known as one of the 'Girls of Revolution Street', has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Criminal Court of Tehran Province. The news of Shariyatmadari's conviction was announced by Nasrin Sotoudeh, her lawyer, in an interview with Radio Farda. According to her, the charges against Maryam Shariyatmadari include 'encouraging corruption through the unveiling' and 'encouraging women and girls to remove their hijabs'. Sotoudeh emphasized the 'unjust and illegal' nature of Shariyatmadari's conviction, stating: 'I would like to compare this ruling with the ruling of Saeed Toosi and the case that arose last year regarding a child's claim of abuse by his father. Such strict rulings against women can generally be found in patriarchal societies like Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.' Saeed Toosi, a Quran reciter who has performed at various events attended by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, was accused of sexually abusing children and adolescents. Despite admitting to his actions, he was ultimately acquitted of the charges. Now, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer, compares Toosi's court ruling with her client's conviction, saying that the judiciary's goal is to 'instill fear in society'. Protests against mandatory hijab in Iran gained significant momentum last year. In December of last year, a young woman, later identified as Vida Mohavedi, displayed a new form of protest against mandatory hijab, which became known as the 'Girl of Revolution Street'. She climbed an electric platform and waved her white hijab like a flag. This act was followed by other women and girls, including Maryam Shariyatmadari. A video of the police officer's confrontation with Shariyatmadari, who threw her off the platform, went viral on social media. Last month, the sentence of another 'Girl of Revolution Street', named Narges Hosseini, was announced, sentencing her to two years in prison, three months of which are punitive. Nasrin Sotoudeh, comparing the two sentences, concludes that Maryam Shariyatmadari's sentence is 'illegal'. She told Radio Farda that 'the nine-month difference in the execution of the punitive prison sentence essentially voids this ruling of its judicial and legal meaning'. Iranian officials have emphasized that they will take severe actions against protesters of the mandatory hijab. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has also referred to these protests as 'small and insignificant', yet every day, more videos emerge of Iranian women and girls removing their hijabs in protest against the mandatory hijab, to the point where Iran's Minister of Interior has stated that severe measures are not effective in this case.