Shalaka Kachare, Pune
Iranian actress Afsaneh Bayegan has been sentenced to two years in prison for wearing a headscarf and not following the hijab law. The court has suspended her for five years as per the violation of the law.
According to Iranian law, women in the country are required to cover their heads and necks in public. In Iran, there is a provision of punishment for not wearing a burqa in a public place.
The court also ordered Afsaneh Bayegan to make weekly visits to a psychiatric center to treat mental disorders and submit a health certificate after her treatment. According to the source, the judgment also forbade her for two years from using social media or leaving the Islamic Republic.
This decision of the court has come after the 61-year-old actress appeared without wearing a headscarf at a film festival and after that, she shared pictures related to it on social media.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it has been made mandatory for all Iranian women to wear hijab. In addition, Bayegan stated her support for the demonstrations brought on by Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died while in police detention, last year. Mahsa Amini was detained for breaking the strict dressing rule in September.
Bayegan gained recognition for her most known performance in “Sarbedaran,” a television series depicting Iran’s defense against the Mongol invasion in the fourteenth century.