Ghazanfarabadi: Sending a film to Masih Alinejad carries a prison sentence of up to ten years

The head of Tehran's Revolutionary Courts says that sending any film related to "unveiling the veil" to Masih Alinejad is subject to Article 508 of the Islamic Penal Code. The "Stad Ihya Amr Be Ma'ruf" has accused the journalist of collaborating with a hostile country.

A few days ago, Jalil Mohebbi, secretary of the Iranian “Staff for the Restoration of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” wrote in a tweet to the organizer of the “White Wednesdays” campaign: “You receive salaries from a country hostile to Iran, so you are their collaborators, and according to the law, collaborating with you is a crime, and the Revolutionary Court will convict your collaborators as before.” Mohebbi warned citizens that sending videos to the enemy is a crime and can be prosecuted.

On Monday, August 28, the head of Tehran's Revolutionary Courts announced: "Taking film from military fortifications, violating privacy, and filming with the intention of collaborating with a hostile government is a crime."

Fars News Agency quoted Musa Ghazanfarabadi as saying: "Given Alinejad's cooperation agreement with the Americans, those who film themselves or others in relation to the uncovering of the hijab and send it to this woman will be subject to Article 508 of the Islamic Penal Code and will be sentenced to between one and ten years in prison."

Ghazanfarabadi added that the issue does not only apply to films about revealing the hijab: "Instead, any film that is against the Islamic Republic system and is sent to this woman will be subject to this article."

The issue relates to the release of a film that girls protesting against compulsory hijab posted of a “famous person” in Tehran’s Sadeghieh metro. Sadegh Bitarfan claims that he was threatened after the video warning these girls was posted. Fars writes: “A few days ago, while Sadegh Bitarfan, a cultural activist, had warned women without a hijab at one of the Tehran metro stations, a video of his famous person immediately reached the person who ran the hijab campaign in the West, causing the cultural activist to face a wave of threats.”

Fars calls Masih Alinejad a "close friend of the Zionists" and writes: "Campaigns such as "White Wednesdays," which are carried out by close friends of the Zionists and with the support of the enemies of the Iranian people to expose the veil, have no intention other than subversion, and the slogans of "women's freedom" and "equal rights for men and women" or "no to compulsory hijab" only smell of hostility to the precepts of Islam and the laws of the Islamic country."

Protest and criminalization 

Before the statements of the head of the Revolutionary Courts, the Amr Be Marouf Headquarters had considered sending the Amer Be Marouf film a crime and said that it would support the neutrals by introducing a lawyer, preparing a complaint, and pursuing other actions. Sadegh Bitarfan also says that he intends to file a complaint against Masih Alinejad with Interpol and is willing to go to Europe to do so.

Ms. Alinejad responded on her Facebook that she welcomes any opportunity to introduce “gender apartheid in the Islamic Republic” in international courts. The organizer of the “White Wednesdays” campaign also called the words of the Secretary of the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue and Forbidding Vice “clear evidence of creating fear and terror as well as criminalizing the collection of documents and evidence of human rights violations by its victims.” In response to Jalil Mohebbi, she wrote: “… I must file a complaint against you for the crime of harassing citizens and imposing the Islamic hijab on them so that your name is included in the list of human rights violators. Learn that no one has the right to disturb others on the street.”

The women's rights activist says that Jalil Mohebbi, by his own statement, on the one hand, has allowed verbal and physical violence against women protesting against compulsory hijab, and on the other, has criminalized documenting this violence. She announced that she will "use all available international means to pursue legal action and hold Jalil Mohebbi accountable."

The criminalization of protests against the mandatory hijab in Iran has been repeatedly condemned by human rights organizations. At least eight people are currently in prison for supporting the White Wednesdays campaign, facing charges including “promoting prostitution and corruption,” “propaganda against the system,” and “acting against national security.”

Recently, in response to the White Wednesdays campaign, a group of Basij militia launched the “Golden Wednesdays” campaign to encourage women to wear headscarves. The Salam Now website called this action a copycat and a seal of approval for the effectiveness of Masih Alinejad’s campaign.

Ms. Alinejad faced a lot of criticism after meeting with the US Secretary of State in February 2018. The Iranian Attorney General addressed her in a derogatory tone and called her part of an “infiltration group.” At the same time, citizens and social media users also considered her meeting with Mike Pompeo unnecessary and harmful in the context of sanctions on Iran. This civil activist stated that the reason for meeting with Pompeo was to gain the US government’s support for the protests of the Iranian people.

Source: DW