Washington supports Iranian women protesting against compulsory hijab

WASHINGTON - 3 February 2018: The US is supporting Iranians who are protesting against the compulsory hijab enforced following the 1979 revolution, said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

Nauert added that the US condemns the arrests in Iran of at least 29 individuals “for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms by standing up against the compulsory hijab,” US-funded Radio Sawa reported on Saturday.

The spokesman stressed the US firm stance supporting freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, noting that “people should be free to choose the clothes they wear, and practice their faith as they desire. Depriving individuals of this choice undermines their autonomy and dignity.”

Iranian police said on Friday that they arrested 29 women who removed their head scarves in a protest against a law requiring women to wear the Islamic veils in public.

The police claimed the women had been “tricked” into removing their head scarves by a propaganda campaign being conducted by Iranians living abroad.