Prominent Iranian scholar and activist Sedigheh Vasmaghi, charged with appearing in public without a mandatory head scarf, has started a sit-in protest in Tehran's Evin Prison to denounce the authorities' refusal to grant her weekly family visits.
The move was brought to light by the For Narges account on X, formerly twitter, which said that Narges Mohammadi, a fellow detainee and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has joined Vasmaghi's protest in a sign of support, with both women staging the sit-in at the office of the women's prison guards.
Mohammadi has been convicted five times since March 2021, three times for activism carried out while she is imprisoned, and has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison during that period.
The authorities refused to allow Vasmaghi family visitation rights, citing her refusal to adhere to Iran's mandatory hijab regulation. Vasmaghi, arrested at her home by plainclothes officers on March 16, faces charges of "propaganda against the system in cyberspace" and "public appearances without Shari'a-compliant hijab."
Though she wore a head scarf for years, Vasmaghi has openly opposed the Islamic republic's hijab law, posting pictures and messages on social media condemning the government's crackdown on offenses related to the hijab and its repression of women, as well as appearing in public without the head scarf.
Vasmaghi also has been highly critical of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling him a dictator and slamming the country's "oppressive" leadership.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported, citing a source close to Vasmaghi's family, that she was denied family visitation for the second time on March 24.
Vasmaghi has reportedly been subjected to harsh conditions of detention despite her deteriorating health. She has been denied access to medical care both on the premises of the prison or at external hospitals.
In her criticism of the compulsory hijab regulation, Vasmaghi said the measure was a political move rather than a Shari'a-compliant one. She has called on women to keep resisting the measure in order to expose it as a tool of political repression. She has also boycotted the Islamic Revolutionary Court, denouncing it as illegitimate.
The case has highlighted the ongoing struggle for human rights and freedom of expression in Iran, particularly concerning women's rights and the mandatory hijab law.
The death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022 after her arrest for allegedly improperly wearing her head scarf led to months of nationwide protests that thrust women's rights and public disapproval of the hijab law to the forefront.
Iranian authorities responded by carrying out a violent crackdown that resulted in the deaths of over 500 protesters. They also implemented a stricter hijab law with harsher penalties and longer prison sentences for those who disobey it.
The fact-finding committee of the UN Human Rights Council labeled these government actions against women as a crime against humanity.