Iran holds back 'hijab and chastity law' proposing stricter penalties for girls not covering head

Iran's National Security Council has decided to hold back the contentious law after severe opposition even as it was supposed to come into effect last Friday.

With the law receiving worldwide and domestic backlash. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the legislation was "ambiguous and in need of reform", whereas Amnesty International, a human rights organisation said the Iranian authorities were "seeking to entrench the already suffocating system of repression."

Pezeshkian voiced his disapproval of the country's mistreatment of women regarding hijabs earlier this year during his presidential campaign.

"Just as they could not forcibly remove hijabs from women's heads in the past, they cannot now force it onto them. We have no right to impose our will on our women and daughters", he said.

According to the BBC, more than 300 Iranian rights activists, writers and journalists publicly condemned the new hijab law last week, calling it "illegitimate and unenforceable" and urged Pezeshkian to honour his campaign promises.

Mahsa Amini's death triggered hijab protests

The death of Mahsa "Zhina" Amini in police custody in September 2022 triggered widespread protest across Iran.

The 22-year-old Kurdish woman died in the police custody after she was detained for allegedly violating dress code.

Challenging the government's authority, several Iranian women have since then removed their hijab in public. At least 551 people were killed as of 15 September 2023 in the protests, according to Iran Human Rights. They included women and at least 68 minors.

Recently, Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi was arrested after she performed in a virtual concert on YouTube without wearing a hijab.

In November this year, a video went viral where a woman was seen walking on a university campus stripped to underwear, before being forcibly detained. A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary said the woman had been treated in hospital and returned to her family, reported BBC.