Tehran. A video has surfaced in Iran in which a woman is seen taking off all her clothes and climbing on a police vehicle in a naked state. This woman was protesting against the strict punishment for women in the Islamic country Iran who do not cover themselves completely with a hijab. In the footage circulated on social media, the woman can be seen standing on the bonnet of the car in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, and shouting at armed officers.
In a video shared by Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, the woman is seen moving towards the windscreen, where she sits with her legs spread. The video further shows an armed male officer appearing reluctant to apprehend the woman. The video footage ends after the woman screams and raises her hands in protest. According to the newspaper 'The Sun', the woman's husband said after the incident that she is undergoing treatment. However, the woman's action is widely seen as a protest against Iran's increasing dress restrictions for women.
Strict law in Iran
In December, Iranian lawmakers approved a controversial new 'Purity and Hijab' law. Which proposes harsh penalties for women and girls showing their hair, hands, or feet. The bill was suspended after global condemnation from activists and organizations such as Amnesty International. These organizations criticized Iran for trying to "strengthen an already stifling system of repression." Repeated violations of the proposed law would carry heavy fines and up to 15 years in prison.
Women protested many times.
According to the law, those who break the rules will have to be reported to the authorities. In January this year, a woman at Tehran's Mehrabad airport removed a cleric's turban and covered her head after being confronted for not wearing a hijab. The incident was videoed and widely circulated online. Women's dress codes have been controversial since the 1979 the Iranian Revolution. Tensions escalated violently after Mahsa Amini died in 2022 after being detained for not wearing a hijab, leading to nationwide protests in which security forces killed more than 550 people and detained thousands more.
