Iranian women and girls are now subject to some of the harshest penalties in the world for failing to wear a hijab, under a newly enacted law that has sparked international condemnation. Independent United Nations Human Rights Council experts have decried the legislation, which took effect on Friday, as a direct assault on women\u2019s fundamental rights and freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The controversial Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab<\/em> introduces draconian measures, including prison sentences of up to 15 years, steep fines, and even the possibility of death sentences under charges of \u201ccorruption on earth.\u201d The law also mandates surveillance and enforcement at all levels of Iranian society, targeting women and girls as young as 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although hijab requirements were already mandated under Iran\u2019s Islamic Penal Code, the new legislation imposes far harsher consequences for violations. Women and girls who appear unveiled in public or online could face lengthy prison sentences and ruinous economic penalties. Independent experts highlighted that the legislation effectively criminalizes freedom of expression, religion, and belief, as well as the bodily autonomy of women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, the law embeds its principles into Iran\u2019s social fabric, requiring schools, businesses, and public campaigns to promote a “culture of chastity.” This systematic enforcement transforms the state\u2019s control over women\u2019s bodies into an institutionalized practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law goes beyond state enforcement, compelling citizens, families, and businesses to report violations. Technology is to be extensively used for surveillance, creating what UN experts described as a \u201cclimate of fear and distrust\u201d within communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese measures weaponize everyday life, turning citizens into agents of state surveillance and punishing the most vulnerable, including children and young people,\u201d the experts warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UN experts stressed that this law represents a clear violation of international legal norms and fundamental human rights, including equality, liberty, privacy, and freedom from gender-based persecution. They cautioned that it would likely increase violence against women and girls while perpetuating systemic discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe call upon the Government of Iran to immediately repeal the Hijab and Chastity Law and all other discriminatory legislation that perpetuates gender-based persecution,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The independent UN Special Rapporteurs, who serve in a voluntary and non-paid capacity, confirmed that they are engaging with the Iranian government to address these concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new law has ignited widespread outrage among human rights advocates worldwide, as the long-term ramifications on Iranian society remain uncertain. However, one thing is clear: the struggle for women\u2019s rights and freedom in Iran has entered a perilous new chapter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Iranian women and girls are now subject to some of the harshest penalties in the world for failing to wear a hijab, under a newly enacted law that has sparked international condemnation. Independent United Nations Human Rights Council experts have decried the legislation, which took effect on Friday, as a direct assault on women\u2019s fundamental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5724"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5730,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5724\/revisions\/5730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Expanded Restrictions and Harsh Penalties<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Climate of Fear and Citizen Surveillance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Global Condemnation and Long-Term Impacts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n