Yasaman Aryani
Yasaman Aryani is an Iranian political prisoner. She appeared without a head scarf, and talked about it on social media.
Biography
In August 2018, Aryani was arrested at a protest in Tehran with other activists, while assisting an old woman the police knocked to the ground. Charged with "disrupting public order", Aryani was sentenced to a year in Evin Prison.[1] According to the U.S., Evin Prison has committed "serious human rights abuses" against political dissidents and critics of the government.[2]
When released in February 2019, Aryani denounced her early release as "a show" with the Iranian government trying to promote a positive image with the international community.[1][3]
External videos | |
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Yasaman Aryani without her head scarf – YouTube |
On 8 March 2019, she and her mother boarded a women-only train on the Tehran Metro, and neither of them wore headscarves.[4][5][6][7] In April 2019, Aryani and her mother were arrested in relation to the video (right) taken of them on a train without headscarves. In the video, Aryani spoke of her hopes for a future when women would be free to choose what they wear, "me without the hijab and you with the hijab". After a version of the video went viral, Aryani was arrested and charged with "inciting and facilitating corruption and prostitution" through promoting "unveiling".[8] The 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian authorities enforce a strict dress code which includes women veiling themselves. Aryani and her mother were each sentenced to 16 years in prison.[8]
On 29 July 2019, together with three other female political prisoners in
References
- ^ a b c Meet Yasaman Aryani, Iran Nobel Women's Initiative. Accessed 11 February 2020.
- ^ Iran's Evin prison, Ansar-e Hezbollah face new US sanctions Aljazeera News, 31 May 2018.
- ^ Iranian political prisoners react state-run media claims Iran Human Rights Monitor, 2 February 2019.
- ^ Jailed for protesting forced veiling Amnesty International. Accessed 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Yasaman Aryani took off her headscarf & was sentenced to 16 years in prison". 2019-10-23.
- ^ "Three Women Sentenced to 55 Years for Defying Compulsory Hijab in Iran".
- ^ "In Iran, some take off their hijabs as hard-liners push back |". AW. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
- ^ a b c Help release Yasaman from prison Amnesty International. Accessed 11 February 2020.
- ^ Jubin Katiraie (1 August 2019). "Women Political Prisoners Attacked in Iran's Qarchak Prison". iranfocus.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ International, Amnesty (2023-03-17). "Good news: Women's rights defenders, Yasaman and her mother Monireh, were released from prison early". Amnesty International Australia. Retrieved 2023-11-02.