Latest news with #ChastityandHijabLaw
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Human Rights Council Hears Alarming Updates On Executions In Iran And Global Civic Space Crackdown
June 2025 At least 975 people were executed in Iran in 2024, the highest number reported since 2015, according to a report Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, presented to the Geneva-based Council on Wednesday. Of the total executions, just over half were for drug-related offenses, 43 per cent for murder, two per cent for sexual offenses, and three per cent for security-related charges. At least four executions were carried out publicly. 'These cases are marked by serious allegations of torture and due process violations, including lack of access to a lawyer,' said Ms. Al-Nashif. Violence and discrimination against women At least 31 women were reportedly executed in Iran last year, up from 22 in 2023. Of the 19 women executed for murder, nine had been convicted of killing their husbands in cases involving domestic violence or forced or child marriage, areas in which Iranian women have no legal protections. Some executions were reportedly linked to protests that began in September 2022 under the banner 'Women, Life, and Freedom.' Beyond executions, femicide cases surged, with 179 reported in 2024 compared to 55 the year before. Many stemmed from so-called 'honour' crimes or family disputes, often involving women and girls seeking divorce or rejecting marriage proposals. Ms. Al-Nashif also warned that the suspended Chastity and Hijab Law, if enacted, would pose a serious threat to women's rights. Penalties for violations such as improper dress could include heavy fines, travel bans, long-term imprisonment, or even the death penalty. In addition, of the 125 journalists prosecuted in 2024, 40 were women, many reporting on human rights and women's rights issues. Religious and ethnic minorities 'In 2024, the death penalty continued to have a disproportionate impact on minority groups,' Ms. Al-Nashif told the Council. At least 108 Baluchi and 84 Kurdish prisoners were executed in 2024, representing 11 and 9 per cent of the total, respectively. The report also raised concerns over the lack of official data on the socioeconomic conditions of ethnic and ethno-religious minorities and non-citizens, which hampers efforts to assess their situation and measure the impact of targeted policies and programmes. Looking ahead While Iran continued engagement with the Office of the UN High Commissioner and other human rights mechanisms, it denied access to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. 'Our Office remains ready to continue and build on its engagement with the Iranian authorities on the range of issues highlighted in the report of the Secretary-General for the promotion and protection of all human rights,' Ms. Al-Nashif concluded. Global 'Super Election' cycle undermined democratic participation In the Council's afternoon session, Gina Romero, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, presented her report on how the 2023–2025 'super election' cycle has affected civic space around the world. In 2024, half of the world's population elected their local, national and international representatives. While Ms. Romero's report on this cycle does not assess the integrity of the elections, it identifies troubling global patterns of systematic repression of the exercise of peaceful assembly and association. 'The misuse of restrictive laws, smear campaigns, disinformation targeting civil society intensified globally in the super electoral cycle, undermining electoral participation and freedom of association,' she said. Political repression and violence As criminal justice systems are used to repress the opposition, leaders and members of political parties faced undue restrictions and political persecution. Civil society activists and election observers have also faced harassment, arbitrary detention, torture and murder. 'When political parties, civil society, and peaceful assemblies are suppressed, genuine political pluralism and competition cannot exist,' argued Ms. Romero. 'I stress that these conditions are incompatible with free and genuine elections and risk legitimising undemocratic rule.' Minority representation Ms. Romero also underscored that women's political leadership remains severely underrepresented, while LGBTIQ individuals and their organizations faced attacks during the super electoral cycle. Both groups experienced physical and online political violence, restricting their electoral participation and accelerating the decline of their rights after the elections. Calls to protect freedoms Amid global crises and a rapid democratic decline, Ms. Romero emphasized the urgent need to protect the rights to peaceful assembly and association throughout the entire electoral cycle. She outlined key recommendations, including strengthening legal protections before elections, ensuring accountability afterward, regulating digital technologies and promoting non-discriminatory participation throughout. 'Dissent is a fundamental element of democratic societies,' she concluded in Spanish. 'Rather than being suppressed, it should be welcomed and permanently protected.'
Shafaq News
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran: No more hijab street patrols
Shafaq New/ Iran has officially disbanded its morality police, which enforced the country's mandatory hijab laws, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced. Qalibaf confirmed that the revised law eliminates the "Guidance Patrols", but he emphasized that hijab laws remain in effect, according to local media. The amendments, he said, aim to change enforcement methods and foster public consensus on the issue. The decision follows years of public defiance against hijab mandates, particularly after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, which sparked mass protests and international condemnation, pressuring the government to modify its approach. In February 2025, a woman in Mashhad staged a dramatic demonstration, undressing and climbing onto a police car to protest dress code enforcement. Her act followed the December passage of the Chastity and Hijab Law, which introduced harsher penalties for violations. Human rights organizations have denounced Iran's continued enforcement of hijab laws. Human Rights Watch criticized the legislation for introducing severe punishments, including fines, imprisonment, and even the death penalty for repeat offenders. Amnesty International described the law as an effort to "suppress opposition to compulsory veiling."
Rudaw Net
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iranian parliament says preparing to implement new hijab bill
Also in Iran Iran committed to nuclear safeguards: Deputy FM Iran says will respond to Trump's letter after review IRGC vows a 'stronger' response to threats, denies role in shaping Yemen policies Iran arrests five Kurds following Newroz festivities: Watchdog A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran's parliament speaker said late Monday that the country is laying the necessary groundwork and regulations to implement the new controversial hijab bill, proposed in the wake of massive countrywide protests in 2022. The Chastity and Hijab Law is in reaction to challenges the government faced enforcing its existing hijab laws in the face of widespread protests in 2022, ignited by the death of young Kurdish woman Zhina (Mahsa) Amini while in the custody of the so-called morality police. 'Both the parliament and the government are seriously pursuing the preparation of the necessary foundation for this law, ensuring that the required equipment, facilities, and regulations are ready. We are also not wasting any time in this process,' Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf told state media. 'When a law is to be implemented, the necessary groundwork must be laid for it, and to be fair, the government is currently working on creating this groundwork for the law,' he added. In May of last year, former late President Ebrahim Raisi approved the bill proposed by the judiciary for the "completion of formal legal procedures." But current President Masoud Pezeshkian has questioned the feasibility of implementing the law. 'I do not see such a platform ready in our administrative system and I see such behavior as somewhat problematic, we should sit down and discuss and see how this is going to happen,' Pezeshkian said in a September interview. In August, Ghalibaf said that the law would be forwarded to the government for the president's signature, enabling governmental bodies to enforce it starting on December 13, but it has been postponed ever since. Pezeshkian's cabinet has faced heavy criticism since its beginning, primarily from conservatives who oppose its agenda. In late January, Javad Zarif, Iran's vice president for strategic affairs, was slammed after he told an American journalist in Switzerland that enforcing a new hijab law was not part of Pezeshkian's agenda. Zarif announced on March 3 that he is stepping down from his position after advice from Iran's judiciary head. 'The difference from the previous law is that there is no imprisonment, no flogging, and no morality police. Instead, it focuses more on fines and monetary penalties,' Ghalibaf said about the new hijab bill. According to media reports, fines range from 20 million tomans (about $280) to 165 million tomans(about $2,300). The stricter hijab law includes measures such as hefty fines for violations, the installation of CCTV cameras with facial recognition technology in state offices to identify offenders and penalties for businesses that fail to enforce the dress code. Additionally, the law also empowers ordinary citizens to report violations. Iran's public security police, the Faraja, will primarily be responsible for identifying violations and violators using Iran's smart intelligence system, which employs cameras and information databases. 'Any woman who removes her hijab in public, in public places, or in passages that are typically in the view of non-mahrams [non-first-degree relatives]…' will be located 'through the smart systems of the Islamic Republic of Iran Police Command (Faraja), by matching with other reliable databases and definitively verifying the perpetrator's identity,' the law reads.
