Outcry on social networks
Iran whips woman for taking photos without headscarf
January 7, 2024, 1:17 a.m
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The Kurdish activist Roja Heschmati had to endure 74 lashes of the whip in what she says was a “medieval torture chamber”. The Iranian judiciary had imposed the punishment on her because she was seen in a picture without a head covering.
The flogging of a 33-year-old woman sparked an outcry in Iran. As human rights activists reported, Iran’s judiciary punished the Kurdish activist Roja Heschmati in the capital Tehran with a total of 74 lashes. The woman herself drew attention to the execution of the sentence on Facebook and described it impressively. Iran’s judiciary confirmed the execution of the lashes. These were carried out within the framework of the law, reported the justice portal “Misan”. The case caused great outrage among Iranians on social media.
According to the newspaper Shargh, Heshmati was arrested in April 2023 after publishing a photo without the headscarf, which is mandatory in Iran. She then had to defend herself against numerous legal allegations. A prison sentence of more than 13 years had been successfully challenged, her lawyer Masiar Tatati told the newspaper. A sentence of lashes for moral offenses remained.
Heschmati announced her verdict in October on her Facebook profile, which is no longer publicly visible. On January 3, Heschmati wrote that she appeared before the authorities with her lawyer after being summoned. Despite repeated requests, she took off her headscarf in protest. She described the place where she was whipped as a “medieval torture chamber.”
More than a year ago, the death of the young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini sparked serious protests in Iran. For months, young people in particular took to the streets to demonstrate against the Islamic system of rule. Amini fell into a coma after an allegedly violent encounter with the notorious moral guardians and died shortly afterwards. The state reacted with extreme severity. More and more women are now resisting the obligation to wear a headscarf.