Rights group says Iran implements ‘harsh’ hijab surveillance on women

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that Iranian authorities conducted widespread surveillance on women to enforce the wearing of headscarves, even in cars, and then imposed penalties including confiscating the vehicles.

The Islamic republic’s leadership has been shaken by massive protests in 2022 and women have decried dress codes, but the country has made clear it has no plans to abandon the mandatory headscarf that was imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Amnesty International said in a report that women were the target of “extensive surveillance” in public spaces, based on “a review of official documents” and testimonies from more than 40 women in Iran released ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. and “massive police checks targeting female drivers.”

Photos from surveillance cameras or reports from undercover agents using the police app Nazer can identify the license plates of vehicles with female drivers or passengers who are believed to be in violation, the report said.

The women then received text messages ordering them to report the crime to the police and hand over their vehicles as punishment. Hundreds of thousands of such orders to impound vehicles are said to have been issued.

In some cases, the car can be released after 15-30 days once the “discretionary” fee is transferred and a written commitment is obtained to comply with the mandatory wearing of the hijab.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “This is a sinister attempt to weaken resistance to the compulsory wearing of hijab… Iranian authorities continue to conduct surveillance on women and girls and policing to intimidate them.” She condemned “harsh tactics.”

Authorities are also said to have carried out large-scale random checks, with police pulling over female drivers to check whether their cars would be confiscated.

Amnesty International said women were often denied access to transport, airports and banking services and made it conditional on wearing a headscarf.

Those who break the rules will face prosecution. In January this year, a young woman, Roya Heshmati, was sentenced to 74 lashes for not wearing a veil in public.

Protests erupted in September 2022 after Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating hijab regulations.

The crackdown resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests, and the demonstrations died down.

Iran’s parliament passed the “Bill Supporting Chastity and Hijab Culture” in September 2023, which increases penalties for those deemed to violate the regulations.

Approval from the Guardian Council watchdog is currently awaited.