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‘Gender apartheid’: UN slams Iran’s hijab law

 


The experts from the United Nations have slammed the hijab law of the Islamic Republic of Iran. UN experts have said that the hijab law in Iran could amount to “gender apartheid.”

Recently, Iranian authorities announced a new draft law, which highlights harsh punishments for women and girls who fail to wear a hijab. The draft is under review by the Iranian parliament. The 70-article draft law proposes harsh penalties for girls and women who refuse to wear the hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

UN experts said in a statement on Friday, “The draft law could be described as a form of gender apartheid, as authorities appear to be governing through systemic discrimination with the intention of suppressing women into total submission.”

According to the proposed draft law, the Iranian authorities can use artificial intelligence to identify women who violate the rules and dress code. The UN called the move against women “inherently discriminatory.” 

The United Nations panel of experts consists of special rapporteurs and a working group with a special focus on discrimination against women and girls. 

The UN experts said, “The weaponization of ‘public morals’ to deny women their freedom of expression is deeply disempowering.”

The UN said that the proposed law was submitted to the Iranian parliament in May. Last month, the Iranian parliament voted in favor of allowing a parliamentary committee to review the proposed law, which includes harsh punishment for women.

Under the proposed law, if a woman refuses to wear the hijab, she may face a five-to-10-year prison sentence as well as a fine of up to 360 million Iranian rials. Another section of the proposed law urged the police to strengthen AI systems to identify women without the hijab.

According to reports, business owners will have to pay higher fines if they don't implement the hijab rule. A celebrity could be fined up to 10 percent of their fortune.


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