Report: Controversial headscarf law in Iran is postponed
Following harsh criticism of a new headscarf law in Iran, the criminal reform is reportedly back on ice. The Security Council has come to the conclusion that the adoption of the reform should be postponed for a few months, Iranian media reported, citing Ismail Siawoschi, a member of the parliament's cultural commission.
09.12.2024, 11:11
SDA
The headscarf law is the response of arch-conservative forces in Iran to the civil disobedience of many women in the big cities who 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".
According to the latest version of the law, women who fail to comply with the headscarf requirement could face heavy fines or even be denied public services. Celebrities are to be punished particularly severely: They are threatened with temporary bans from their profession, bans on leaving the country and confiscation of up to five percent of their assets.
President criticizes the law
The law was actually due to be introduced this Friday by the Iranian parliamentary speaker. For the penal reform to come into force, only President Massid Peseschkian would have had to sign the headscarf law. However, the moderate-conservative politician himself had criticized the text, which was drafted under the government of his late and arch-conservative predecessor Ebrahim Raisi.
Using a political trick, the Justice Commission approved the criminal reform last year without a vote in the plenary session of parliament. The Guardian Council subsequently blocked the law and demanded improvements. The headscarf requirement is considered one of the ideological pillars in Iran.
