Amnesty International: Iran Pressures Mandatory Hijab Protesters for Televised Confessions
Amnesty International reported that officials of the Islamic Republic are attempting to obtain televised confessions from activists protesting mandatory hijab through detention, prolonged solitary confinement, and pressure on the families of those opposed to mandatory hijab in Iran.
In a report released on Monday, July 15, Amnesty International identified similar methods being employed in at least 6 cases; in one instance, a women’s rights defender went missing for 11 days in the current month.
Philip Luther, Director of Research and Advocacy for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated: “Amid their perceived threat from the growing women’s rights movement against mandatory hijab, Islamic Republic officials have resorted to cruel tactics to discredit the campaign against mandatory hijab and deter others from joining this movement.”
He added: “These women should not have been detained in the first place. It is cruel that they must now either endure torture or appear on state television and make forced confessions admitting guilt and renouncing their protest against mandatory hijab.”
Amnesty International then referenced what happened to Saba Kordafshani and quoted her mother, stating that Ms. Kordafshani was held for 10 days in solitary confinement at the Vezara detention center and during that period was pressured to confess on camera to participating in the White Wednesdays campaign. Eventually, Ms. Kordafshani’s mother was also detained to force her to confess.
The human rights organization emphasized in its statement that the Islamic Republic must immediately and unconditionally release these activists, drop charges against them, and refrain from broadcasting their forced confessions.
The United States government has repeatedly supported the efforts of Iranian women in recent years to eliminate discriminatory laws, including mandatory hijab.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commended the efforts of Iranian women to fight mandatory hijab during the presentation of the “Courage Award for Women” at the U.S. State Department.
Source: Voice of America
