The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
“We have received information that uniformed and plainclothes police in Iran are enforcing a violent crackdown throughout the country against women and girls under the country’s strict hijab laws – as well as men supporting them. There have been reports of widespread arrests and harassment of women and girls - many between the ages of 15 and 17,” Jeremy Laurence stated.
“On 21 April, the Tehran head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the creation of a new body to enforce existing mandatory hijab laws, adding that IRGC members have been trained to do so ‘in a more serious manner’ in public spaces. “Reports indicate that hundreds of businesses have been forcibly closed for not enforcing compulsory hijab laws, and surveillance cameras are being used to identify women drivers not complying with the laws,” he said.
The UN Human Rights Office is also very concerned that a draft bill on “Supporting the Family by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” – which imposes even stricter punishments– is nearing final approval by the Guardian Council.
“While the latest draft of the bill has not been made public, an earlier version stipulates that those found guilty of violating the mandatory dress code could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment, flogging, and fines. Corporal punishment constitutes a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and any detention, imposed for the exercise of fundamental freedoms, is arbitrary under international law. We reiterate that this bill must be shelved,” Laurence stated.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk calls on the Iranian Government to eliminate all forms of gender-based discrimination and violence, including through the revision and the repeal of harmful laws, policies and practices, in line with international human rights norms and standards.
“This week, we also received reports that the Isfahan Revolution Court sentenced to death rapper, Toomaj Salehi. He was convicted and sentenced for “corruption on earth” over views he expressed in the context of nationwide protests in 2022 following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. Mahsa Amini had fallen into a coma in police custody, after being detained by the morality police for not wearing a headscarf properly,” the spokesperson said.
The High Commissioner urges the authorities to overturn Toomaj Salehi’s sentence, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. All individuals imprisoned for exercising their freedom of opinion and expression, including artistic expression, must be released.
Nine men have already been executed in connection with the 2022 protests.
The High Commissioner urges the Iranian Government to immediately halt the application of the death penalty and establish a moratorium on its use. Until then, the death penalty may only be imposed for the “most serious” crimes, which refers to crimes of extreme gravity that result intentionally and directly in death.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence + +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence statement on Iran and hijab law
TRT: 0:
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 April 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Exterior shot: Wide shot Palais des Nations
2. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “We have received information that uniformed and plainclothes police in Iran are enforcing a violent crackdown throughout the country against women and girls under the country’s strict hijab laws – as well as men supporting them. There have been reports of widespread arrests and harassment of women and girls - many between the ages of 15 and 17.”
3. Cut away: briefing room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “On 21 April, the Tehran head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the creation of a new body to enforce existing mandatory hijab laws, adding that IRGC members have been trained to do so ‘in a more serious manner’. Reports indicate that hundreds of businesses have been forcibly closed for not enforcing compulsory hijab laws, and surveillance cameras are being used to identify women drivers not complying with the laws.”
5. Cut away: briefing room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “While the latest draft of the bill has not been made public, an earlier version stipulates that those found guilty of violating the mandatory dress code could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment, flogging, and fines. Corporal punishment constitutes a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and any detention, imposed for the exercise of fundamental freedoms, is arbitrary under international law. We reiterate that this bill must be shelved.”
7. Cut away: briefing room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “This week, we also received reports that the Isfahan Revolution Court sentenced to death rapper, Toomaj Salehi. He was convicted and sentenced for “corruption on earth” over views he expressed in the context of nationwide protests in 2022 following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. Mahsa Amini had fallen into a coma in police custody, after being detained by the morality police for not wearing a headscarf properly.”
9. Cut away: briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
Cabrini film lead and Gomorrah star Cristiana Dell’Anna travelled to Geneva on Friday to highlight the age-old dangers confronting migrants and the astonishing Italian missionary who travelled to New York’s slums at the turn of the last century, determined to protect them.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN warns of escalating danger for Sudanese civilians amid ethnic violence and war crimes.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
UN health agency says 500 to 600 aid trucks a day could reach Gaza once ceasefire begins
Amid media reports that Israel’s Security Cabinet recommended the approval of a Gaza ceasefire on Friday, humanitarian aid agencies prepared to expand the flow of humanitarian aid assistance to Palestinians in the territory, devastated by 15 months of war.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA , UNHCR
UN stands with people of Ukraine for the long term insists UN aid chief at humanitarian appeal launch in Kyiv
The embattled people of Ukraine and those forced abroad need $3.32 billion in lifesaving and sustained humanitarian assistance to help them cope as a fourth year of war looms after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, UN aid chiefs said on Thursday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Syria: Tragedy ‘at every step’ as millions of children face landmine threat – UNICEF
In Syria, landmines and other explosives left over from years of conflict present an ever more lethal threat to children, accounting for over 100 child deaths and injuries last month alone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , WHO
LA wildfires: Climate change made the disaster worse says WMO
The powerful dry winds and tinderbox conditions that have been fuelling the continuing Los Angeles wildfire tragedy have been made worse by climate change, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Wednesday updated the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Ukraine, outlining the findings of OHCHR’s latest periodic report covering 1st September to 30th November 2024.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“We are deeply troubled by the marked increase in executions in Iran last year. At least 901 people were reportedly executed in 2024, including some 40 in one week alone in December. At least 853 people were executed in 2023,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Avian flu risk still ‘low’ after first US patient dies – WHO
A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that the risk to the general population remains “low”.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.