Iranian activist is sentenced to 178 lashes and 18 months in prison for not wearing a hijab

An Iranian activist has been sentenced to 178 lashes and 18 months in prison after being arrested for not wearing a hijab.

Hamideh Zarei, a Gilak activist and former political prisoner, had been released earlier this month from Rasht Central Prison after spending nearly a month behind bars only to be hit with a new sentence.

Her latest sentence includes nine months of imprisonment and 74 lashes for ‘disrupting public order,’ nine months for ‘resisting law enforcement officers,’ 74 lashes for ‘insulting an officer on duty,’ and 30 lashes for ‘causing non-visible injuries.’

The Tehran University master student’s ordeal began on February 3, when she appeared at the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Rasht as part of a forced residency sentence.

She was detained for not wearing the mandatory hijab, which led to her receiving new charges.

Zarei spent 29 days in detention at Rasht Central Prison before being released on bail on March 3, according to a report from the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights.

During her time in custody, the activist was reportedly physically assaulted by two officers from the Rasht Prosecutor’s Office Protection Unit, which resulted in wrist injuries and severe bruising.

But this is just the latest chapter in the regime’s relentless targeting of Zarei. 

Her troubles with Iranian authorities date back to 2022. 

In November 2023, the Karaj Revolutionary Court, under Judge Mousa Asafolhosseini, sentenced her to one year in prison for ‘propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.’ 

After accepting the verdict, the sentence was reduced to nine months.

Zarei was first detained in Karaj on May 29, 2023, and imprisoned in Kachouii Prison until her release on February 22, 2024, after serving her sentence. 

However, she was also banned from travelling for two years, prohibited from social media activity for two years, and forced into exile in Rasht.

Her first known arrest took place on November 3, 2022, when she was detained for attending a memorial marking the 40th day since the killing of Hadis Najafi – a young woman shot dead by security forces during the 2022 protests. 

She was imprisoned in Kachouii Prison before being released on February 7, 2024, under a so-called ‘pardon’ directive.

Her case is yet another example of Iran’s brutal suppression of women’s rights activists.