Shaparak Shajari-Zadeh, One of the 'Girls of Revolution Street', Arrested Again

Reports from Iran indicate that Shaparak Shajari-Zadeh, one of the 'Girls of Revolution Street', was arrested on Tuesday evening, September 18, along with her young child in Kashan. At the same time, a summons was issued for another woman protesting against compulsory hijab. Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer, told the 'Human Rights Campaign in Iran' that Ms. Shajari-Zadeh, who was traveling with her 9-year-old son, was arrested by the city's security police for 'removing her hijab'. According to the report, Shaparak Shajari-Zadeh's child and a friend were released a few hours later. In an interview with the 'Human Rights Campaign in Iran', Ms. Sotoudeh described the swift arrest of Shaparak Shajari-Zadeh as 'a form of violence', questioning why women are arrested so quickly for their attire, stating that 'in crimes like murder and theft, suspects are not arrested with such speed'. Furthermore, she noted that although Ms. Shajari-Zadeh's 9-year-old son was released after a few hours, 'his father is in another city, and his mother is in prison'. According to the report, the security police in Kashan also confiscated Shaparak Shajari-Zadeh's vehicle during her arrest, but 'contrary to the law', which requires the vehicle to be returned to the arrested individual, her husband was asked to come to the city to retrieve the car. Nasrin Sotoudeh stated, 'This is another instance of violence against women; because they have turned the car into a tool for the husband to control and pressure the wife, so that the husband can advise the wife to remain silent'. Iranian judicial authorities have not yet responded officially to the news of Shaparak Shajari-Zadeh's arrest. Earlier, in early Esfand of last year, she was arrested for removing her headscarf on Qeytarieh Street in Tehran and was released on bail a few days later. The Iranian judiciary has accused her of 'not observing the Sharia hijab' and 'encouraging corruption', and her court hearing, according to her lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, is scheduled for June 20. In recent months, during public protests against compulsory hijab, several girls have been arrested, among them Narges Hosseini, who was sentenced to two years in prison, and Maryam Shariati, who received a one-year sentence. No news has been released regarding the cases of other detainees, including Azam Jangravi and Shima Babaei. Another girl from Revolution Street, Leila (Khadijeh) Mirghafari, has also been summoned to the Revolutionary Court. According to a notice shared on social media, Ms. Mirghafari must appear in the Revolutionary Court within five days from Tuesday, April 18, to respond to a complaint from the 33rd District Prosecutor's Office (located in Evin). Ms. Mirghafari had previously stood on an electric platform in front of the 'Tehran Province Intelligence Organization's Follow-up Headquarters' and removed her headscarf while holding up a sign that read: 'Stop violence against women'. Reports indicate that the violence from security officers during Ms. Mirghafari's arrest and afterward resulted in her leg being broken. The Islamic Republic's judiciary has not released any news regarding the formal charges or summons for this anti-compulsory hijab protester. Public protests against compulsory hijab began in December 2017 on Revolution Street in Tehran, initiated by a girl named Vida Mohavedi. Following that, many other girls protested against compulsory hijab by standing on heights and removing their headscarves in various areas of the same street and other streets and cities in Iran. The violent crackdown against these girls has faced criticism from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, but Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, described the protests as a result of 'the extensive propaganda of enemies and their exorbitant costs to negatively influence the issue of hijab'.