A special committee of the parliament in Tehran has approved a draft law that more strictly establishes a strict dress code in Iran, reports Tasnim news agency.

The provision provides for severe penalties for violators, in some cases up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to 5,000 euros.

Foreign nationals who oppose the law can be deported, and offending a woman wearing a hijab – the Islamic headscarf – can be punished by six months in prison and 74 lashes.

The criminal reform is taking place as part of the reaction of the political leadership of the Islamic Republic to the protests in the fall of 2022. Demonstrations against the Ayatollah regime were sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman who was arrested by moral police for violating the dress code.

Meanwhile, the protests have stopped, but many urban women refuse to wear the hijab as a form of passive resistance. Religious hardliners, on the other hand, are demanding tougher action against those who dress inappropriately.

The Ayatollah has the last word

Following criticism of the bill, the Iranian government appointed a special committee for approval; the procedure does not require a vote at the plenary session of the parliament. The final word belongs to the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who consulted on wearing the hijab and assessed that it is a religious duty.

However, Khamenei recently said that women who wear scarves that do not fit properly should not be considered opponents of the religion and the Islamic revolution.

For more than 40 years, the legislation in Iran has imposed the hijab as mandatory clothing for women in public places, reminds the German press agency DPA, quoted by Agerpres.