Politics Controversial headscarf law: Iran's president vetoes bill
Iranian President Massud Peseshkian has vetoed the headscarf law passed by parliament and called in the National Security Council. According to a report in the daily newspaper "Hamshahri", presidential advisor Ali Rabiei justified this step with the social impact the law could have.
15.12.2024, 12:35
SDA
The Council is the Islamic Republic's highest decision-making body on security issues. Peseshkian hopes that the law will be at least partially revised there.
The headscarf law passed by Islamic hardliners in parliament provides for heavy fines or the denial of public services for women who do not comply with the headscarf requirement. Celebrities are to be punished particularly severely: They face bans from their profession and from leaving the country, as well as the confiscation of up to five percent of their assets.
Following fierce criticism in the country, including within the government, the implementation of the law has been put on hold for the time being. Peseschkian is also against the law, as he fears not only social resistance but also new unrest.
Observers also see the dispute over the law as a power struggle between hardliners and moderates and, as a result, a serious challenge for Peseshkian. If he is unable to prevail against the hardliners, the continuation of the moderate course he promised during the election campaign would also be jeopardized.
Many women in Iran's major cities no longer adhere to the strict Islamic dress code in protest. The trend followed the mass protests in the fall of 2022 under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom".
