Iran due to enforce new fines for hijab defiance starting next month

Iran’s parliament is due to announce next month its Hijab and Chastity Law which adds new fines for violating the theocracy's mandatory hijab rules, speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday.

The parliament plans to formally refer the law on December 14 to President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is legally required to sign and implement it within five days.

The legislation, passed by parliament in September 2022 and approved by Iran's Guardian Council in late September this year, has faced delays as authorities weighed public backlash.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a hardliner and a former senior Revolutionary Guards commander, said enforcement of the law will avoid direct confrontation with women - a controversial practice which has stoked mass protests.

"If an act of unveiling occurs, a text message will first be sent as a warning, followed by a second warning. Although the fine for the first offense is registered, it is not enforced initially. However, if the offense is repeated, the second fine will be applied," he added.

Hijab patrols have been eliminated, and the provisions, Ghalibaf said, are "clarified transparently and thoroughly."

Heavy penalties and adjusted timing

The law introduces significant fines, starting at 30 million rials (approximately $45) for a first violation, with repeat offenders facing fines of up to 240 million rials (around $350). The penalties, enforced through automated systems, represent a burden in a country where average monthly salaries range between $170 and $200.

The timing of the law's formal announcement was adjusted, Ghalibaf said, to account for security considerations tied to the anniversary of protests following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in morality police custody in 2022.

The months of mass demonstrations which followed saw many women publicly flout the compulsory Islamic dress code.

Ghalibaf in his remarks on Wednesday criticized the failure of most institutions to enforce previous hijab-related laws, saying that only the police had fulfilled their duties, albeit with occasional shortcomings.

However, questions linger about the infrastructure needed for implementation. Advanced equipment, such as surveillance cameras, remains limited. Ghalibaf acknowledged the gaps but added that measures are underway to ensure enforcement.

Public resistance and government control

The legislation faces strong public resistance, particularly since the Woman, Life, Freedom movement which lingers following Amini’s death.

Many women openly defy the hijab mandate, despite government crackdowns that have included the closure of businesses and impounding of vehicles linked to hijab violations.

Official reports indicate that at least 3,500 vehicles have been confiscated due to passengers violating hijab laws. Despite these crackdowns, many women continue to resist, with acts of civil disobedience such as public unveiling, sharing photos unveiled on social media and participating in protests.

This defiance highlights the pushback against what many perceive as a symbol of oppression, as widespread opposition to official inroads on women's rights and personal freedoms in the country festers.

Ahoo Daryaie, a 30-year-old Iranian doctoral student in French literature at Tehran's Islamic Azad University, became the latest symbol of resistance against Iran's compulsory hijab laws.

On November 2, after reportedly being confronted and harassed by Basij paramilitary forces over her attire, she protested by removing her clothes and sitting partially undressed in the university courtyard.

Following her protest, Daryaie was detained by Iranian authorities, leading to concerns about her whereabouts and treatment. Reports indicate she may have been held in a psychiatric facility, raising international alarm over her condition.

Her action has drawn global attention, with human rights organizations calling for her immediate release.

Daryaie's protest occurred two years after the death of Mahsa Amini, which had previously sparked nationwide demonstrations against Iran's strict dress code laws.

Amnesty International in May condemned Iran's harsh hijab crackdown, describing it as a war on women.

“Iranian authorities are waging a war on women to punish defiance of forced veiling in the wake of the Woman Life Freedom uprising.”

The organization has called on Iranian authorities to end the punishment of women and girls for exercising their rights to bodily autonomy, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. Amnesty has urged the immediate repeal of all mandatory hijab laws and regulations and demanded the dissolution of security forces tasked with enforcing these laws.