Sepideh Rashno After Receiving Final Prison Sentence: Being Condemned for Having Hair is 'Utter Absurdity'

Following the news of the enforcement of Sepideh Rashno's final prison sentence, the anti-mandatory hijab activist described her four-year prison sentence for having hair as 'utter absurdity' and emphasized that 'four years of black captivity cannot change the truth.' Milad Panahipour, Sepideh Rashno's lawyer, announced on Tuesday, December 5, in an interview with the Shargh network that following the issuance of a new four-month prison sentence against Rashno, which activated her previously suspended sentence of 3 years and 7 months, the writer now faces a total of three years and eleven months of definitive imprisonment. According to this lawyer, the four-month prison sentence against his client is related to the charge of 'distributing obscene images on social media.' On Tuesday, Sepideh Rashno, a writer and editor, posted on her Instagram page emphasizing that she is 'not a criminal' and has 'stood by her rights,' addressing the government: 'You have lost to awareness and will.' She also wrote: 'Four years in prison for having hair is as absurd as imprisoning someone for having hands or feet.' Milad Panahipour stated that another case related to Rashno's attire has been opened, which is set to be reviewed on January 2. Sepideh Rashno was arrested in July 2022 following her protest against 'mandatory hijab' and her resistance against the interventions of a woman known as 'Raheh Rabiei,' who was enforcing the hijab laws regarding her attire, and was forced to make a 'forced confession' in front of the Islamic Republic's state television camera. Sepideh Rashno's name appears on the BBC's list of the 100 inspiring and influential women of 2023.