The flogging of an Iranian woman who refused to wear the obligatory hijab has sparked widespread horror and condemnation.
Iranian authorities carried out the sentence handed down against Roya Heshmati last Wednesdaywhich sparked a torrent of indignation on social networks.
Mazyar Tataei, Roya Heshmati’s lawyer, told local Shargh newspaper that his client was arrested at her home in April by so-called morality police, who confiscated her phone and laptop and placed her in detention for 11 days.
He added that initially, Roya Heshmati was sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison, fined 112,500,000 rials and 148 lashes, but a review of the verdict reduced the sentence to 12,500,000 rials and 74 lashes..
Roya Heshmati shared the story of her conviction on Instagram, sparking a flood of reactions.
The 23-year-old young woman declares thatshe had removed her scarf when arriving at court to receive her sentence, throwing aside another scarf that a group of female officers had forcibly placed on her head.
In one harrowing account, she said she was eventually handcuffed and forced to wear a headscarf, chained to a bed in a room that resembled a “horrible” medieval torture chamber, and whipped on the shoulders, back, and neck. waist, thighs, calves and buttocks.
She adds that she tried not to show her pain during the ordeal, whispering the words “In the name of women, in the name of life, the garments of slavery are torn, our dark night will rise and all whips will be cut with an axe…“, while the lashes rained down on her and the chains bruised her wrists.
She was then taken before the judge, while a policewoman ensured that her scarf remained in place. She described her conversation with the judge on Instagram, saying he told her she could leave the country if she wanted to live differently.
“This country belongs to everyone“, she declares, “let the law do its work, we will continue our resistance“.
She said she removed her headscarf when leaving court.
The Mizan news agency, affiliated with Iran’s judicial system, reported that Roya Heshmati had “inappropriate behavior“.
She also indicated that she was “present in very inappropriate conditions on the streets of Tehran“.
The term “inappropriate conditions” probably refers to an image showing her walking through the streets of Tehran without a headscarf, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and a long skirt.
Following the numerous reactions to this news, described as “violence and brutality by the authorities of the Islamic Republic“, several personalities expressed their indignation, including the artist and politician Zahra Rahnavardwho, with her husband former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, has been under house arrest since 2010.
She addressed the authorities, saying: “You whip Roya Heshmati, but with her awakened conscience and resilience, she laughs in your face. I am disgusted by your governance“.
Faced with escalating reactions to his story, Roya Heshmati shared a new message on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the solidarity shown. She says she didn’t expect her story to get so much attention.
She clarified that she had shared the story privately on her page, emphasizing that she was not a “public figure” and that she did not wish to change this status.
As a result, she decided to deactivate “voluntarily” his Facebook and Instagram accounts to avoid any controversy.
