Simultaneous Pressure from Family and the Islamic Republic on Sepideh Roshno: They Say 'Give Up'

Sepideh Roshno, a civil activist and writer opposing mandatory hijab, announced on her Instagram on Thursday, June 1, that "on one side, the foot of the authorities is on my throat, and on the other side, my family's foot is on my throat," revealing the pressures from the Islamic Republic as well as her relatives. She detailed the accusations made against her by the authorities, stating: "The argument is that because I follow the pages of certain individuals, I am in contact with them. Because I published one photo of myself without a hijab, I am inviting people to corruption and prostitution. The argument is that I, as a citizen, have no right to protest, and if I do, my consequence will be a heavy political-security case that will also lead to the execution of the suspended sentence from my previous case." Roshno also mentioned her brother's efforts for her release, adding: "If it weren't for the insistence and pleas of Saman and the urgency of the bail guarantor, I would probably remain in detention until the second case court is formed." This civil activist wrote that her brother, Saman, tells her to "give up!" and "is trying to say that you are only torturing yourself and your family, and nothing will change." She further explained: "My sister messages me every day that my mother's blood pressure has risen, my father fights with them every day. My sister writes that if my mother has a stroke, I am to blame. My mother says there isn't a day that she doesn't cry and that she has lost weight since the notification came." This writer and activist opposing mandatory hijab had recently reported being summoned to Evin Prosecutor's Office. Two months before the killing of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police, Sepideh Roshno was arrested in July 2022 following the release of a video of her confrontation with a 'morality enforcer.' In that video, a woman supporting the Islamic Republic threatened Roshno, saying she would film her and give it to the IRGC. After these threats, passengers forced the woman supporting the Islamic Republic to disembark from the bus. Nevertheless, Sepideh Roshno was arrested, and after a while, her 'televised confession' was released, which sparked widespread reactions on social media. Social media users posted in support of Sepideh Roshno and against mandatory hijab. Despite the pressures on civil activists and opponents of mandatory hijab, women's civil disobedience in Iran continues. Roya Kashafi, a human rights activist, stated in an interview that the Islamic Republic's efforts to maintain mandatory hijab are essentially to preserve all legal discrimination against women.