TEHRAN – An official from Iran has stated that the implementation of a new, stricter law regarding women’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab, has been put on hold. Many feared that this law could lead to renewed protests in the country following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
The law, which was passed by the parliament in September 2023, will not be submitted to the government as scheduled this week. A vice president of Iran confirmed this decision, effectively stopping the enforcement of the legislation.
This legislation introduces stricter penalties for women who choose not to wear the hijab and for businesses that accommodate them, measures that were previously opposed by Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian as he aims to repair relations with the West concerning sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear activities.
“According to the discussions held, it was decided that this law will not be referred to the government by the parliament for now,” Shahram Dabiri, the vice president in charge of parliamentary affairs, was quoted as saying in an interview Monday with the pro-reform Ham Mihan daily.
The decision to halt the legislation — at least temporarily — was reached by top executive, legislative and judiciary bodies, Dabiri also said.
At the moment, it is “not feasible to implement this bill,” he added, without elaborating.
Had the bill passed to the government, Iran’s president would have had little room to maneuver. By law, he’s required to endorse the bill within five days, after which it would have taken effect in 15 days. The president has no authority to veto it.
Pezeshkian could try to convince Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, to halt the bill.
If the bill had been enacted, Pezeshkian could also refuse to act on it or urge police not to enforce it, setting up a potential constitutional crisis that hard-liners could try to exploit to weaken him.
The president had earlier described the law as having “many questions and ambiguities.”
Amini died on Sept. 16, 2022, after her arrest by the country’s morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities.
Iran has denied being responsible for her death and disputes she was beaten. However, United Nations investigators have concluded Amini ”was subjected to physical violence that led to her death,” which they blamed on the morality police.
The monthslong security crackdown that followed Amini’s death killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.
In the years since, Iranian women on the streets increasingly have ignored the existing hijab law, walking in public with their hair uncovered despite the threat of arrest or harassment.
The new, 74-section law envisages fines of $800 for first offenses and $1,500 for second offenses, followed by prison terms of up to 15 years for third offenses. Also, celebrities and public figures could see the confiscation of 8% of their net worth, while businesses face the possibility of closure and fines for serving those not wearing a headscarf. Travel bans also would have been enacted for offenders.
The law also would have allowed foreign nationals, including the millions of Afghans living in Iran, to work as informers reporting women not wearing the hijab. Business owners and taxi drivers would be encouraged to report on uncovered women. Otherwise, they can face cash fines.
The scope of the law, which would be in place for three years, is extraordinary even for the Islamic Republic. It also includes allowing police access to private surveillance footage and even footage recorded by security forces, the Defense Ministry and the country’s civilian nuclear agency.
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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
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