https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158171
13 December 2024
A controversial new law in Iran now mandates prison sentences of up to 15 years and even potential death sentences for women and girls who refuse to wear the hijab. Independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, along with global human rights advocates like Ms. May Sato, have condemned the legislation, calling it a “fundamental attack on women’s rights.”
Ms. May Sato, an internationally respected human rights advocate, stated:
“This law represents a devastating setback for women’s rights in Iran and globally. It not only weaponizes state power against women but also institutionalizes fear and distrust within communities. The international community cannot remain silent while such egregious violations unfold.”
The legislation, officially titled the Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab, applies to girls as young as 12. It intensifies state control over women’s bodies and freedoms, embedding the enforcement of strict dress codes into all aspects of Iranian society.
Experts emphasize that this law combines severe criminal penalties with mandatory citizen surveillance, turning individuals, families, and businesses into enforcers of state policy. Educational curricula and public campaigns are now required to promote the so-called “culture of chastity,” further normalizing systemic oppression.
In a joint statement, UN experts decried the law’s far-reaching consequences:
“This law constitutes a clear violation of fundamental human rights, including women’s rights to equality, freedom of expression, religion, belief, bodily autonomy, liberty, security, and privacy.”
Most alarmingly, the law permits judges to sentence individuals to death under charges of “corruption on earth” for refusing to comply with the hijab mandates.
The experts, joined by Ms. Sato, warned that these measures could escalate violence against women and girls, deepen gender-based discrimination, and foster a “climate of fear” within Iranian society. Vulnerable populations, including children and young people, are likely to suffer the most under the law’s enforcement mechanisms.
Human rights advocates have called for the immediate repeal of the legislation. The UN-appointed experts are engaging with the Iranian government on this matter, though they urge the international community to remain vigilant.
Aslo this article in ourwebsite: https://vereinwelle.ch/iran-a-medieval-step-backwards-with-the-implementation-of-the-criminal-hijab-and-chastity-law/
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