Iranian authorities have ordered the arrest of two women, judicial authorities said Saturday, after a viral video showed them being attacked by a man for not wearing a hijab.
Images widely shared on social media in Iran appear to show how the two women, who were not wearing the mandatory hijab or headscarf, were attacked by a man in a shop after an argument.
The video shows the man pouring what appears to be yogurt over the two women’s heads before being confronted by the shopkeeper.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for the man “on charges of committing an abusive act and a disturbing warrant,” the website Mizan Online reported.
However, it added that arrest warrants had also been issued for the two women “for committing a prohibited act” by removing their headscarves.
“The owner of the store where this happened has received the necessary notices to comply with legal principles and Sharia law according to regulations,” the website added.
This comes after the sudden death of Mahsa Amini in prison in September sparked months of protests over an alleged violation of the strict dress code for women.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands arrested in what Iranian authorities describe as “unrest” fueled by Israel and the West.
On Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi repeated the call for Iranian women to wear the hijab as a “religious necessity”.
“The hijab is a legal matter and its observance is mandatory,” he said.
At the end of March, the head of the judicial authorities Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said that “removing the hijab means enmity against values and people who commit such deviation will be punished”.
Source: DN
