Iranian Judges Tag 3 Actresses With Mental Disorder For Not Wearing Hijabs In Public

According to RadioFrance Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), judges in Iran have diagnosed three well-known Iranian actresses with mental ailments as a result of their refusal to wear hijabs.

Recent public appearances without hijabs by Azadeh Samadi, Leila Bolukat, and Afsaneh Bayegan, broke the country’s stringent modesty laws.

Iranian law stipulates that women who choose not to cover their heads in public may get a sentence of up to two years in prison; however, if the new legislation is adopted, repeat offenders may face longer sentences.

The seasoned actor Bayegan, who showed up to a film event without a hijab but with a hat, was given a two-year prison sentence on July 19. She was also prohibited from traveling and accessing the Internet. She was also ordered to undergo mandatory psychological treatment for what was described by judges as an “anti-family personality disorder” — a condition that is not recognized by any major Western medical bodies, per RFE/RL.

Also Read: Iranian Women Disregard The Hijab Law Despite Dangers

Samadi, 44, was given a similar medical order. Tehran’s Criminal Court ordered on July 18 that she must visit psychiatric centers every two weeks to be treated for an “anti-social disease,” RFE/RL reported, citing Iranian media.

Samadi was detained after wearing a hat instead of a hijab at a funeral. Though she was not given prison time, she was denied access to her phone for six months and had all of her social media accounts shut down.

According to RFE/RL, judges also determined that Bolukat, 42, who had previously received a sentence of six months in prison and a two-year ban on engaging in professional activity, had a mental disorder.

She received this punishment for posting pictures of herself online without a hijab, according to the news source.

Since Mahsa Amini, 22, passed away in September of last year, there have been numerous rallies against Iran’s severe hijab restrictions.

The leaders of four psychiatry boards publicly criticized this most recent action in an open letter to Iran’s judiciary director, RFE/RL reported. This response was in response to Iran’s leading psychiatric organizations.

“The diagnosis of mental disorders is within the competence of a psychiatrist, not a judge,” the letter said, per the news outlet. “Just as the diagnosis of other diseases is in the competence of doctors, not judges.”

The open letter asked that authorities modify the sentences imposed on the three women, describing the diagnosis as “unscientific and strange,” according to RFE/RL.