Narges Mohammadi Praises Roya Hashemti's 'Resistance'; The Whips That Struck You Were the Whips of Despotism on the Body of Freedom

Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner currently imprisoned, described the whipping of Roya Hashemti, an opponent of mandatory hijab, as 'a depiction of the 45-year history of gender apartheid of the despotic government on the bodies of proud and aware women.' This political activist, imprisoned in Evin Prison, referred to Roya Hashemti as 'my dear cellmate' in a message published on an Instagram page attributed to her, praising her 'resistance' and emphasizing that 'against the hollow authority of the despotic government, this is the promise of our certain victory.' In part of her message, Mohammadi wrote: 'The whips that struck your body were the whips of religious despotism on the body of the resilient and living movement of women, life, freedom; the whip of the hardened dictator on the body of the aware, powerful protester; and the whip of despotism on the body of freedom.' Mohammadi continued: 'This incident goes beyond a cruel punishment with the disgraceful accusation of violating public decency due to not wearing the mandatory hijab. The whip was not just a rotten black lash; the whip-wielder was not just a government misogynist; the whip-stricken was not just a protesting woman; what occurred was a depiction of the 45-year history of gender apartheid of the religious despotic government on the bodies of proud and aware women and the violent suppression of the resilient protesting society of Iran.' Roya Hashemti's account of enduring 74 lashes for refusing to comply with the mandatory hijab has sparked widespread reactions. Many political figures, lawyers, and media activists have criticized the implementation of this punishment, with some calling for its removal from Iran's criminal system. However, the Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary, defended the execution of Hashemti's sentence, calling it 'in accordance with the law.' Mansoureh Hosseini Yeganeh, a journalist, assessed the execution of this sentence as part of the maximum pressure exerted by the Iranian government on women and civil resistance. Furthermore, the issuance of lash sentences for artists and civil and political activists continues in the courts of the Islamic Republic. The lawyer of Mehdi Yarahee, a government-critical singer, reported on Thursday, January 19, the issuance of a sentence of 2 years and 8 months of prison and 74 lashes against his client. Mehdi Yarahee was arrested in September after releasing the song 'Rosarito' and was accused of 'publishing an illegal and immoral song contrary to the norms of Islamic society.' The inhumane punishment of lashes for the inhumane imposition of mandatory hijab continues to provoke reactions.