Violation of hijab outrage in Iran over forced confession from a woman on TV

Violation of hijab outrage in Iran over 'forced' confession from a woman on TV

There is outrage in the country after an Iranian woman was 'forced' to confess to violating hijab rules on state TV.

According to Arab News, 28-year-old Sepida Rishnu was arrested in July for violating the hijab.

On July 12, the Iranian government introduced a strict hijab and modesty day that many women, including Sepida Rishnu, violated.

The Human Rights Organization (Harana) had said that after the arrest, writer and artist Sapda Rishnu was taken to the hospital after complaining of internal bleeding.

On August 15, President Ibrahim Raisi's government tightened hijab and modesty rules for women and issued a new list of restrictions.

Human rights organization Harana said five women were arrested for violating the rules and four were forced to give confessions.

According to Harana, 1700 people were summoned by law enforcement agencies for violating hijab and dress regulations.

After the arrest, Sapida Vishnu was brought on state television. He was wearing a scarf under the new rules. On this occasion, he also apologized for violating the rules and regulations.

British newspaper The Guardian reported that when Sapida Vishnu appeared on TV, she had 'dark circles around her eyes and looked ill.

Skylar Thomson, a senior member of Harana, said, “His face had obvious marks of beating. It is clear that in addition to psychological torture and forced confessions, they were beaten."

"Observers have seen an increase in acts against women that we haven't seen in some time," added Skylar Thompson. The international community needs to keep an eye on this matter. These injustices are yet another example of the lack of accountability in Iran."

Sepida Rishnu is still in custody. Women are protesting against his arrest by holding placards in Tehran asking 'Where is Sepida Rishnu?'

Ali Ansari, a professor of Middle East political affairs at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, told The Guardian that the tightening of hijab laws was part of a "wide-scale systematic repression" in Iran and that the trend had worsened under the Reisi regime.