The Defiance of Roya Heshmati: Lashes Fail to Break the Resilience of Iranian Women
www.niacouncil.org
As a result of her consistent defiance against Iran's compulsory hijab law, Roya Heshmati, a 33-year-old Iranian woman, has become a symbol of resistance throughout the ongoing “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement following the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022. Since the out

Roya Heshmati likened her punishment to a medieval torture chamber. She revealed her quiet act of rebellion during the actual lashing, where she whispered a song symbolic of women’s struggle for freedom.

Maziar Tataei, her lawyer, disclosed that Heshmati was initially charged with “appearing in public without a Sharia-compliant hijab.” She now faces new allegations which, according to the Islamic Republic’s judicial media, include “indecent public behavior” and connections to organized groups abroad. However, Heshmati denied these allegations, emphasizing her authenticity.

  •  Kwakigra   ( @Kwakigra@beehaw.org ) 
    15•6 months ago

    74 lashings is insane. Whips cause some of the most severe acute pain which is possible to experience with 10 lashes often being lethal from just the shock. Hopefully the Iranian people can overcome this and take back some control.

    I understand that a lot of “moral” crimes in Iran are like how Americans used to regard pot, something that is illegal which most people are fine with even though you would never want the police to find out if you had done it. Alcohol is easy to find in their public markets, for example. Hopefully this egregious event attracts some support from people who hadn’t taken it as seriously.