Iran Forces Women Who Defy Hijab Laws To Clean Morgues Or Get Psychiatric Treatment

Iran's government has adopted extreme measures to suppress women who defy the strict hijab laws. In response to the increasing number of women flouting the stringent restrictions, including public figures like actress Afsaneh Bayegan, who boldly posted photos of her unveiled hair on social media and attended events without a hijab, the authorities have escalated their crackdown on dissent.

Afsaneh Bayegan, aged 61, received a two-year suspended prison sentence and was ordered to undergo counseling at a "psychological center" once a week to address her alleged "anti-family personality disorder." Similarly, another woman was sentenced to a month of cleaning corpses in a morgue when caught driving without a hijab.

This wave of repression has intensified since the custodial death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, after she was detained by Iran's morality police for not properly wearing her headscarf. Many women in the country have since chosen to abandon wearing the hijab, and numerous Iranian celebrities, athletes, and actresses have shown solidarity by doing the same.

Actress Azadeh Samadi faced a similar fate when she was "diagnosed" with an "antisocial personality disorder" for wearing a hat instead of a hijab at a funeral. She, too, was ordered to attend therapy sessions weekly at a "psychological center."

The abuse of psychiatry by the Iranian judiciary has raised concerns among mental health organizations in the country. In an open letter to the head of the judiciary, four mental health organizations accused the authorities of "exploiting psychiatry" for non-medical purposes and emphasized that the responsibility of diagnosing mental health disorders lies with psychiatrists, not judges.

Aside from psychological coercion, authorities have implemented other measures to enforce the hijab laws. These include issuing hefty fines, sending text messages to identify women driving without a hijab, confiscating vehicles, pressuring employers to terminate the employment of non-compliant women, refusing hospital treatment to those not wearing a hijab, and even forcing shops catering to them to shut down. The situation reflects the government's determination to enforce the strict dress code and suppress any form of dissent among women.