Iranian authorities to Impose More Stringent Hijab Laws

A collective picture of the victims of the Iranian regime (Iran International
A collective picture of the victims of the Iranian regime (Iran International
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Iranian authorities to Impose More Stringent Hijab Laws

A collective picture of the victims of the Iranian regime (Iran International
A collective picture of the victims of the Iranian regime (Iran International

Iranian authorities intend to enforce the requirement for women to wear the veil more strictly through video surveillance, according to Iranian media.

Iran's Etemad newspaper said on Friday that the parliamentary justice committee wants to expand the scope of monitoring already used in road traffic to include public places.

Women will be warned at first, via a text message, in the event of violations, and in the event of a repeat violation, the violations will be punished by imposing a fine on them.

At the beginning of January, Etemad had already published a report on reforms to penalize violations of the Islamic dress code more stringently.

At the time, there was talk of community service assignments, re-education courses, bans on leaving the country, employment restrictions and fines.

For months now, the notorious morality police, who used to patrol the headscarf law, have almost completely disappeared from the streets.

Many women in Iran's big cities no longer wear the veil. Critics in Iran complain about the lack of social support for the new tightening of laws.

For more than four months, Iranians have been demonstrating against oppressive policies.

A wave of protests had erupted due to the death of the Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody after the morality police had arrested her for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code.

In other news, Reuters reported that social media images purported to be of an emaciated jailed Iranian dissident on hunger strike have caused outrage online as supporters warned on Friday he risks death for protesting the compulsory wearing of the hijab.

Farhad Meysami, 53, who has been in jail since 2018 for supporting women activists protesting against Iran's headscarf policy, began his hunger strike on Oct. 7 to protest recent government killings of demonstrators, the dissident's lawyer said.



Israeli Drone Strike Wounds 5 in South Lebanon as Residents Demand to Return to Their Land

Destroyed houses are pictured in the southern village of Marwahin as families return with the Lebanese army to the area, on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
Destroyed houses are pictured in the southern village of Marwahin as families return with the Lebanese army to the area, on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
TT
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Israeli Drone Strike Wounds 5 in South Lebanon as Residents Demand to Return to Their Land

Destroyed houses are pictured in the southern village of Marwahin as families return with the Lebanese army to the area, on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
Destroyed houses are pictured in the southern village of Marwahin as families return with the Lebanese army to the area, on January 28, 2025. (AFP)

An Israeli drone strike wounded five people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the country's Heath Ministry, in a village where civilians were protesting for Israeli soldiers to let them access their lands.

The Health Ministry said the strike in Majdal Selm hit “families,” a term it uses for civilians trying to reenter their villages. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike.

Despite a Sunday deadline, Israel's military did not withdraw from southern Lebanon under the terms of its ceasefire with the Hezbollah group.

Protests have since been held daily, and the Israeli military has sometimes responded with gunfire, killing 26 people. The US and Lebanon announced a ceasefire extension until Feb. 18.

Two Israeli strikes on Tuesday wounded 36 people, the Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it targeted “a Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle that transferred weapons.”

The strikes were north of the Litani River. The ceasefire prohibits Hezbollah from having a military presence south of the river.

One of the strikes hit an amusement park, leaving it in ruins with shattered bumper cars, a twisted Ferris wheel and carousel. “This city is meant as an entertainment facility for children,” said Haitham Alam, the park's manager.