Sepideh Roshno: I will go to court without a hijab; Judiciary: The court was held without her presence

The court session for Sepideh Roshno, a student and citizen protesting against mandatory hijab, was held on Monday morning, October 2nd, at the Ershad Judicial Complex in Tehran. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, claimed that 'given Roshno's absence from the court, her lawyer submitted his defense statement to the relevant court branch.' This government news agency added that 'according to the judge's announcement, the verdict will be issued next week.' Meanwhile, Sepideh Roshno had announced her intention to attend the court with optional hijab prior to the session by posting on her Instagram page. She wrote: 'Today; October 2, 2023, I will be present in court with this attire, accompanied by my lawyer Mr. Panahipour, to defend against the two charges of 'encouraging corruption and prostitution and propaganda against the regime,' which are only based on the first post on my Instagram page.' Roshno emphasized that she would appear in court to defend against accusations she has not committed, adding: 'To defend the right to choose my attire and the right to write about what has happened to me. To defend being a 'woman'; a part of the body called 'hair' that everyone - men and women - naturally has.' According to the news organization of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Hrana, this activist opposing mandatory hijab has been accused of 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic and encouraging people towards corruption and prostitution.' In May of this year, Roshno also went to the university disciplinary committee without mandatory hijab. Roshno, who was sentenced to 'prohibition from studying' for two semesters, had stated at that time: 'I told them I will return after two semesters of suspension but with this attire, and they have also issued me a warning of prohibition of entry.' Sepideh Roshno, born in 1994, is a writer and editor who was arrested in July 2022 following her protest against 'mandatory hijab' and her resistance to the interventions of a woman 'morality enforcer' named 'Raheh Rabiei' regarding her attire, and was forced to make a 'forced confession' in front of the Islamic Republic's state television camera. Roshno is a student at Alzahra University, which is considered one of the single-gender - female - universities in the Islamic Republic. She has a history of arrest and conviction due to her activities.