Roya Hashemi, Opponent of Mandatory Hijab, Receives 74 Lashes for 'Offending Public Morality'

Roya Hashemi, an opponent of mandatory hijab in Iran, has been sentenced to 74 lashes and an initial prison term of 13 years and 9 months, according to her lawyer, Maziar Tataei. On Saturday, January 6, Tataei announced in an interview with Shargh Network that following the publication of a hijab-less image of Hashemi on social media, judicial agents arrested her at her home in Tehran on the evening of April 20, confiscating her mobile phone and laptop. The lawyer stated that in two separate cases, Hashemi was convicted by the Revolutionary Court on charges of 'propaganda against the regime', 'appearing in public without proper hijab', 'offending public morality', 'producing obscene content', and 'encouraging corruption', receiving a suspended sentence of one year and a 13-year and 9-month prison sentence, along with 74 lashes and a fine of ten million tomans. Tataei added that Hashemi spent 15 days in prison, and the appeals court upheld the sentence of 74 lashes for 'offending public morality' and a fine of one million and 250 thousand tomans for 'appearing in public without proper hijab'. The account of the execution of Hashemi's 74 lashes has gained widespread attention on social media and in the media. In this account, which has been shared by social media users and civil and human rights activists, Hashemi expressed her continued opposition to mandatory hijab despite the lash punishment. According to this account, after enduring 74 lashes, Hashemi responded to the judge, who referred to mandatory hijab as law, saying: 'Let the law do its work; we will continue our resistance.' The state-run news agency Mizan, affiliated with the judiciary, accused her of 'licentiousness' in response to criticisms regarding the execution of her lash sentence. The United Nations and human rights organizations have described punishments such as amputation and lashes as 'barbaric', 'medieval', and a form of 'torture', repeatedly calling for the abolition of such corporal punishments in Iran. Zeynab Khaniabpour, another opponent of mandatory hijab, has been sentenced to over two years in prison. Exclusive: The Revolutionary Court of Qazvin sentenced imprisoned protester Soori Babaei Chagini to an additional 7 months in prison. Reactions to the release of 'Pink Turban': a commissioned documentary to showcase 'the existence of freedom' in Iran. New restrictions for female sports photographers; they are not allowed to photograph the heads and hair of female athletes.