In Iran, there has been a recent surge in the detainment of women and girls who are not complying with head-covering regulations. Additionally, hundreds of businesses have faced closure for not enforcing these regulations, as reported by UN rights officials in Geneva on Friday.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted that Iran’s morality police had announced more rigorous inspections weeks ago.
This crackdown seems to have intensified after a protest movement in the autumn of 2022, which led to more women openly defying the regulations.
Expressing concern, Türk criticized a proposed law that includes severe punishments like 10 years of imprisonment and flogging for not adhering to the rules on hair covering.
He urged Tehran to eliminate gender-based discrimination and violence from its policies.
Furthermore, Türk condemned the death penalty imposed on rapper Toomaj Salehi, aged 33, who used his music to speak out against political injustices in the country and was a prominent figure during the 2022 protests.
According to Türk’s office, nine men have been executed for their involvement in the demonstrations that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody. Amini was detained by the morality police for not wearing her head covering properly.