Iran using drones, digital technology to enforce mandatory hijab laws: UN report

• A new UN report reveals that the Iranian government is using drones and digital technology to enforce mandatory hijab laws, targeting women and girls. The report highlights severe penalties for non-compliance, including long prison sentences, fines and even the death penalty.
• The UN highlights Iran’s ongoing repression of human rights, especially for women and girls, following the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
• The UN will present its report to the Human Rights Council next week.

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The Iranian government is using drones and other digital technology to police women and girls in its strict enforcement of mandatory hijab laws, according to a new United Nations report. A hijab is a head covering worn by Muslim women as a sign of modesty, according to their religion.

The UN report comes two and a half years after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement began in September 2022. That movement was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She died in Tehran while in police custody for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.

The UN says Iran’s leadership continues to ramp up efforts to restrict the rights of those “demanding human rights as part of a concerted effort to crush dissent.”

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According to an independent Human Rights Council report, women and girls as young as 12 must wear a hijab in physical and online spaces.

“Violations can now result in extended prison sentences of up to 15 years and substantially increased fines,” the council states in its report. “Most concerning to human rights experts is the provision allowing judges to impose the death penalty under the charge of ‘corruption on earth.’”

The UN says the measures are aimed at suppressing women and girls’ human rights, as well as their right to equality.

Those defying Iranian law continue to face criminal penalties. They include fines, long prison sentences and, in some cases, the death penalty, for peaceful efforts supporting human rights.

“For two years, Iran has refused to adequately acknowledge the demands for equality and justice that fueled the protests in 2022. The criminalization, surveillance, and continued repression of protesters, families of victims and survivors, in particular women and girls, is deeply worrying,” Sara Hossain, chair of the fact-finding mission, said in a statement.

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In November, the Iranian government announced the creation of a “treatment clinic” for women who do not comply with the mandatory hijab laws. However, Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has criticized his country’s hijab laws.

The UN plans to present the full report to the Human Rights Council next week.