Taekwondo athlete and coach Hania Shariati Roudbushti was arrested in Tehran, Iran, after she was seen training without a hijab, the mandatory Islamic veil for women in the country. According to the Norwegian Human Rights Organization Hengau, Haniyeh was transferred by security forces on Sunday night (9) to an unknown location, and remained isolated from the outside world for more than 24 hours.
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After her arrest, the athlete’s social media accounts, including her personal Instagram account, which has about 160,000 followers, were hacked and disabled. According to Hengaw, the pages began displaying messages related to the Iranian Cyber Police.
Appearance is under control
On Tuesday (11), Haniyeh appeared in a video posted on Instagram, wearing the hijab and claiming that he had been at home since Monday (10). She said that the authorities considered her previous posts “inappropriate.” However, sources interviewed by the independent Iran International station said that the athlete was released under strict conditions imposed by the security services.
This incident comes amid a new wave of repression in Iran. In recent months, senior regime officials have intensified their rhetoric in defense of strict enforcement of hijab laws. Prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi Azad declared that adherence to the dress code is a “religious duty” and that prosecutors must act firmly against non-compliance.
In Isfahan, one of the country’s largest cities, the head of the regional judiciary also called for sanctions to be imposed on anyone demonstrating “immoral public behavior.” These statements coincide with recent demonstrations by Iranian women challenging the mandatory use of the hijab at parties and public events, actions that spread on social media and became a symbol of resistance.
Since the death of Mahsa Amini, in 2022, in police custody after she was arrested for not wearing the hijab properly, the country has been living in a climate of tension. The young Iranian Kurdish woman became a symbol of the Women, Life and Freedom movement, which mobilized crowds and sparked harsh state repression. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 500 people were killed and about 20,000 arrested during protests that denounced violence and control over women in Iran.
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