Iranian Student Jailed for Defying Mandatory Hijab Law

An Iranian student has been sentenced to prison for appearing at her University of Tehran thesis defense without a headscarf.

Leila Hosseinzadeh shared the court ruling on Instagram, saying that she was neither informed of the charges nor notified of any court proceedings.

“I am completely unaware of the details of the verdict,” she wrote, adding that she has “no hope for an appeal or any other legal process.”

Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court convicted Hosseinzadeh on two charges: appearing in public without adhering to the Islamic dress code at the University of Tehran and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”

This sentencing adds to Hosseinzadeh’s history of confrontations with Iranian authorities.

In August 2022, she endured a violent arrest outside her Tehran residence. She was detained for over four months despite holding a medical exemption from harsh punishment, as certified by the Legal Medicine Organization.

Throughout her academic career, Hosseinzadeh has faced multiple arrests related to her political and student union activities, often involving extended periods of detention without trial.