Saba Kordafshari, 21, who is being held at the women’s ward of Tehran’s Evin prison, was arrested in June 2019 for her work against the country’s discriminatory veiling laws. She had been previously arrested and pardoned for her involvement in 2018 anti-corruption protests.
Followign the activist's most recent arrest, she was sentenced to 15 years for “inciting and facilitating corruption and prostitution” through promoting “unveiling”, seven and a half years for “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security” and one and a half years for “spreading propaganda against the system,” according to Amnesty International.
Kordafshari’s sentence was upheld after her lawyers asked for a retrial, and Branch 28 of the Supreme Court rejected the request, says HRANA.
Iran continues to crackdown on a growing movement of women and girls criticizing the Islamic republic’s compulsory veiling laws. Those involved in movements, including the White Wednesdays, My Stealthy Freedom, and other groups have collectively taken to the streets without head scarfs, dispersed images on social media.
In 2018, authorities arrested at least 29 women for protesting the country’s mandatory dress law, which has been in place for over forty years. The women removed their headscarves and held them aloft on Tehran’s Revolution Street. Their images were widely shared on social media with the hashtag #GirlsOfRevolutionStreet.
