This was reported by the “Misan” justice portal. The case caused great outrage among Iranians on social media. According to the newspaper “Shargh”, Heshmati was arrested in April 2023 after publishing a photo without the headscarf, mandatory in Iran. She then had to defend herself against numerous legal charges. A prison sentence of more than 13 years was successfully challenged, her lawyer Masiar Tatati told the newspaper. The penalty of whipping for moral offenses remained.
Heshmati announced her verdict in October on her Facebook profile, which is no longer publicly visible. On January 3, Heshmati wrote that she appeared before authorities with her lawyer after being summoned. Despite repeated requests, she removed her headscarf in protest. She described the place where she was whipped as a “medieval torture chamber”.
More than a year ago, the death of young Kurdish Jina Mahsa Amini sparked serious protests in Iran. For months, young people, in particular, took to the streets to demonstrate against the Islamic system of government. Amini fell into a coma after an allegedly violent encounter with the notorious moral guardians and died shortly afterwards. The state reacted extremely harshly. More and more women are resisting the obligation to wear a headscarf.