A woman has been arrested in Iran after peacefully protesting against compulsory veiling, the latest such incident in recent months. Video uploaded to YouTube on February 15 shows a woman standing on a concrete block above a crowd on Tehran’s Enghelab (Revolution) street, waving her head scarf in protest.
Police then arrive on the scene and the woman appears to be forcibly pulled down as those in the crowd shout, “Leave her alone.”
The woman was protesting at the same site and in the same way as the first such protest in December.
The woman who performed the first such protest in late December has become a symbol of defiance against the strict dress code enforced in Iran. She has been dubbed the “Girl of Revolution Street."
After her protest on December 27, several other women were detained in Iran for protesting compulsory veiling by removing their head scarves and waving them in the air.
On January 24, Amnesty International reiterated its calls on Tehran to “end the persecution of women who speak out against compulsory veiling, and abolish this discriminatory and humiliating practice.”
Islamic dress code became compulsory in Iran following the 1979 revolution.
The dress code dictates that a woman's hair and body be covered at all times in public.
Morality police launch regular crackdowns on those women who fail to comply.
