(UnitedHeadlines.com) – An Iranian woman, Roya Heshmati, 23, was whipped 74 times by police after she was found to have violated “public morals” for sharing a photo of her without a hijab covering her head.
The judiciary said in a statement that she was sentenced and flogged for alleged links to groups outside Iran that defy the hijab rules and also encourage others to defy the rules. It said by appearing without a hijab, she “encouraged permissiveness.” The statement said the punishment was “carried out in accordance with the law and with sharia.”
A vocal critic of hijab laws, Heshmati, was arrested at her home in Tehran in April after she shared a picture of her back, which showed her wearing a knee-length skirt, red shirt and without a hijab. She was held in custody for 11 days following her arrest. Initially, she was sentenced to 74 lashes as well as 13 years in prison and a fine of 12m rials ($25). An appeals court dropped the prison sentence.
In an Instagram post, she described a weather whip hitting her back, shoulders and legs. Under her breath, she whispered, “Rise, for Woman, for Life, for Freedom.” She said at the entrance to the courtroom, she took off her scarf, even after a female agent asked her to, and the agent then pulled it over her head.
Many people, including political commentators and activists, condemned the “inhumane” punishment.
“Enough is enough,” political commentator Abbas Abidi said, who added that the punishment is disgusting.
According to Iranian law, women and girls older than puberty age are required to cover their bodies with long, loose-fitting clothing and cover their heads with a scarf. Last year, Iran’s parliament passed a new “hijab and chastity” law, which for dressing “inappropriately” in public places, increased the increase the prison sentence to 10 years and increased the fine to 180m-360m rials ($3,651-$7,302).
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