Iran mulls draconian hijab law almost a year after Mahsa Amini's death

Iran's 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed in an act of police brutality for allegedly wearing her hijab inappropriately on September 16, 2022. With massive protests, global condemnation, and almost a year down the line, things only appear to have gotten worse. According to CNN, the Iranian regime is now considering a bill that could set the middle eastern nation further back in time. 

The harsh bill specifically targets hijab wearers and lists out a range of proposals. It includes longer jail terms for defiant women who ditch the traditional headscarf, new penalties for prominent public figures, and the use of artificial intelligence technology to detect women who are not dressed in accordance with the rules.

Experts show concern over Iran's new bill

The 70-article draft worries experts, who warn that it is confirmation that the regime will not tone down its stance on the mandatory hijab in spite of nationwide protests that spurred chaos and violence in Iran last year. The new bill was presented by the judiciary to the government earlier this year, and is set to be voted on “in the next two months."

According to state-aligned news agency Mehr, the bill will be submitted to the Board of Governors this Sunday before being introduced to the parliament. It is “a clear response to the protests from September of last fall,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think-tank in London, adding that it is an attempt by the leaders to “reassert authority over veiling and the requirements expected of women.”

“The system is trying to make clear that leniency won’t be tolerated, and that there is a clear, graduated system of punishment for individuals that are going to flout the dress law in the country,” he added. 

A year since Amini's death

Meanwhile, Iranians will mark Amini's first death anniversary in September this year. The Kurdish woman died in police custody after she was detained by the regime's morality officers and taken to a “re-education center" for allegedly violating the country's dress code. 

Since the outrage over her death, the morality police appears to have gradually pulled back from the public eye. However, their presence remains, as police spokesman General Saeed Montazerolmahdi warns that the force will resume detaining women who are seen without their headscarves in public.