Taekwondo athlete and coach Haniyeh Shariati Raudposhti has been detained in Tehran, Iran, after she was seen training without wearing the Islamic veil, the hijab, which is compulsory for women in the country. According to Norwegian human rights group Hengau, Hanye was taken to an unknown location by security forces on Sunday night (9th) and was unable to be contacted for more than 24 hours.
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Following her arrest, the athlete’s social media accounts, including an Instagram profile with approximately 160,000 followers, were hacked and deactivated. Hengau said the page started showing messages related to Iran’s cyber police.
Re-emergence is under control
On Tuesday (11th) of this week, Haniyeh appeared in a video published on Instagram wearing a veil and claiming that she had been at home since Monday (10th). She said previous posts were deemed “inappropriate” by authorities. However, sources interviewed by independent broadcaster Iran International said the player had been released under strict conditions imposed by security authorities.
The episode came amid a new wave of repression in Iran. In recent months, senior administration officials have stepped up speeches defending stronger enforcement of the hijab law. Attorney General Mohamed Mobahedi Azad declared that adhering to the dress code is a “religious obligation” and that prosecutors must act decisively against violations.
In Isfahan, one of the country’s largest cities, the state attorney general also called for punishment for those who committed “immoral public acts.” The statement coincides with recent demonstrations by Iranian women against the compulsory wearing of veils at parties and public events, an act that has gone viral on social media and has become a symbol of resistance.
The country has experienced a tense atmosphere since Mahsa Amini died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for not wearing her hijab correctly. A young Kurdish-Iranian woman became a symbol of the Women, Life, Freedom movement that mobilized crowds and provoked severe state repression. More than 500 people have been killed and about 20,000 arrested in protests condemning violence and the domination of women in Iran, according to Human Rights Watch.
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