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Ahoo Daryaei, the Iranian collegiate who stripped to her underwear in protest against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws at a Tehran university, has been released without facing charges.
The protest, which was captured on video and went viral online, led to Daryaei being detained by authorities and later hospitalized, reported the BBC.
A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary said the woman had been treated in hospital and returned to her family.
Authorities claimed she was “sick” and diagnosed with a psychiatric condition, a common tactic used against women protesting hijab laws, said the BBC.
Daryaei’s detention sparked international outcry, including from Amnesty International.
Daryaei’s protest wasn’t premeditated. Instead, it started after she got into an argument with security guards because she wasn’t wearing a headscarf, a hijab law which women are required to follow in Iran.
This law was established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution which said women must cover their hair and dress modestly, according to Wikipedia.
Although no charges were filed against her, the incident highlights the ongoing repression of women’s rights in Iran. Women continue to face pressure to conform to strict dress codes by the government under Islamic law.
Two years ago, Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, died while in police custody after being detained for not properly wearing a hijab. Her death sparked 40 days of relentless protests in Iran.
The Iranian government has already taken measures to stop similar women’s rights protests from occurring. Iran recently opened a “clinic for quitting hijab removal” to re-educate women who refuse to cover up in Tehran.
Women internationally have spoken about the hijab law. The blog, Hijabis of New York, highlights the diversity of Muslim women living in the Big Apple who choose to wear the headscarf.
