Women living under the Islamic Republic of Iran could be fined up to £57,000 for defying the government’s new hijab laws, which require them to wear the religious head covering at all times.

Iranian lawmaker and member of the Iranian Parliament’s Culture Commission, Hojjat ol-Eslam Hossein Jalali, said on Sunday that penalties for flouting the law include confiscation of driver’s licenses and passports, or a ban on celebrities and social media use of the internet, media influencers and Bloggers next to the fine.

Jalali added that these laws apply to women who disregard the hijab rules when driving in vehicles, eating in restaurants, in schools and universities, and on the streets and other public places, reports Iran International.

Hardline legislators and policymakers have sought alternative ways to enforce once-brutal hijab enforcement rules after their “morality police” method of cracking down on lawbreakers failed.

It comes after Mahsa Amini’s death in September, which sparked large-scale protests across the country.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with members of Iran’s Cultural Revolution Supreme Council to discuss alternative plans to enforce hijab legislation.

A newspaper with a cover photo of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police, is seen in Tehran, Iran September 18, 2022

In the past, lawbreakers were released on bail after paying a small fine, but faced longer sentences and lashes if they had a criminal record.

Any trace of participation in public opposition to the compulsory hijab would result in serious consequences such as prosecution and imprisonment.

However, the vice squad has largely disappeared from the streets as the government feared offending people.

According to Jalali, the plan was finalized after “300 meetings with the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and the National Security Council.”

In December, Jalali briefed Iranian media on the government’s alternative plans to discipline those who flout the law.

He said: “It is possible to notify non-hijab wearers in the form of a text message that they do not have to follow the hijab rule and respect the law.”

For the past year, the government has responded to almost three months of unrest with deadly force as it tries to quell one of the biggest challenges facing the Islamic regime since the 1979 revolution.

Amini, 22, was visiting the Iranian capital with her family when she was arrested on September 13 by the police unit responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code for women, including the wearing of the headscarf in public

Activist news agency HRANA said as of November 29, at least 459 protesters had been killed during the unrest, including 64 minors, as security forces tried to quell widespread dissent.

The hijab became compulsory for women in public and girls over the age of nine after the 1979 revolution.

Jalali said in December that there would be no change in enforcing hijab and chastity laws, only that the methods of enforcement would become less violent and intrusive.

“The move away from hijab means a retreat from the Islamic Republic,” added Jalali.

Source » ustimespost