Iranian Activist Gets 178 Lashes, 18 Months for Not Wearing Hijab

Iranian Activist Gets 178 Lashes, 18 Months for Not Wearing Hijab

Iranian Activist Sentenced to 178 Lashes, 18 Months for Defying Hijab Law

Iranian activist Hamideh Zarei has been sentenced to 178 lashes and 18 months in prison after being arrested for not wearing a hijab.

Zarei, a Gilak activist and former political prisoner, was released from Rasht Central Prison in early March after nearly a month in detention. However, she was soon handed a fresh sentence, including:

• 9 months in prison and 74 lashes for “disrupting public order”
• 9 months in prison for “resisting law enforcement officers”
• 74 lashes for “insulting an officer on duty”
• 30 lashes for “causing non-visible injuries”

Her ordeal began on February 3, when she appeared at the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Rasht as part of a forced residency sentence. Authorities detained her for refusing to wear the mandatory hijab, leading to new charges. Zarei spent 29 days in Rasht Central Prison before being released on March 3 on bail, according to the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights.

While in custody, she was allegedly physically assaulted by two officers from the Rasht Prosecutor’s Office Protection Unit, leaving her with wrist injuries and severe bruising.

A History of Persecution

Zarei has been a frequent target of Iranian authorities since 2022.

• In November 2023, the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced her to one year in prison for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” After accepting the verdict, the sentence was reduced to nine months.
• She was first detained in Karaj on May 29, 2023, and imprisoned in Kachouii Prison until February 22, 2024, when she completed her sentence.
• Upon release, she faced additional punishments, including a two-year travel ban, a two-year ban on social media activity, and forced exile to Rasht.

Zarei’s first known arrest was on November 3, 2022, after attending a memorial for Hadis Najafi, a young woman killed by security forces during the 2022 protests. She was imprisoned in Kachouii Prison before being released on February 7, 2024, under a so-called “pardon” directive.

Her case highlights the Iranian regime’s relentless crackdown on women’s rights activists, as authorities continue to punish those who defy mandatory hijab laws and protest state repression.

Iranian Activist Gets 178 Lashes, 18 Months for Not Wearing Hijab