Iran jails women for ‘hijab violation’ after tracking her via ‘smart’ CTV: Reports

An Iranian criminal court has sentenced a woman to prison over hijab violations after tracking her via a ‘smart’ CCTV camera, the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) organization reported Thursday.

They reported that Branch 1088 of the Tehran Criminal Court sentenced the unnamed woman for an alleged violation of the mandatory hijab laws.

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The woman faces a two-year travel ban and two months imprisonment, citing potential “anti-Iranian behavior.”

Throughout the court verdict, obtained by HRANA, the judge, Ali Omidi, references the use of public “smart” security cameras as evidence to support the claims.

The woman was additionally mandated to mental health checks after the judge noted her decision to remain out of compliance with mandatory hijab laws displayed symptoms of a “disease” that “must be treated.”

The sentence imposed this week is the first known instance of such cameras being used as evidence in an attempt to systematically crackdown on women’s rights.

“Criminalizing refusal to wear the hijab is a violation of the right to freedom of expres-sion of women and girls. The move is of grave concern and should be widely con-demned,” the HRAI said in a statement.

Iran was rocked by demonstrations sparked by the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress rule for wom-en based on Islamic Sharia law.

Thousands have been arrested, and several protesters have been executed since the start of the protests.

In April, Iran’s state media reported how authorities in Iran were installing cameras in public places to identify and penalize women not wearing hijabs.

A police statement carried out by several local media outlets at the time said the force would “take action to identify norm-breaking people by using tools and smart cameras in public places and thoroughfares.”

Police will then send “the proof and warning messages to the violators of the hijab law” to “inform them about the legal consequences of repeating this crime.”

“People who remove their hijab will be identified by using smart equipment,” Iran’s po-lice chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said in an interview with state television at the time. “People who remove their hijab in public places will be warned first and presented to the courts as a next step.”

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