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Three women describe how they flout the hijab laws ahead of the first polls since nationwide protests.
BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaThe Iranian women risking jail with daily act of defiancePublished12 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated Topics2022 Iran protestsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Iranians took to the streets across the country following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022By Caroline HawleyDiplomatic correspondentAzad, Donya and Bahareh don’t know each other. But the three women – whose names we’ve changed for their own safety – share a fierce determination to resist Iran’s theocratic government, and the dress codes it has imposed on women and girls for 45 years. So, every day, they head out of their homes in the capital Tehran – without covering their hair – despite the potential risks. “It’s very scary,” 20-year-old music student Donya tells me over an encrypted app. “Because they can arrest you any minute and fine you. Or torture you with lashes. The usual penalty if you’re arrested is 74 lashes.”Last month, a 33-year old Kurdish-Iranian activist, Roya Heshmati, made public that she’d been given 74 lashes after posting a photograph of herself unveiled. But Donya, Azad and Bahareh say there is, for them, no going back. “It is symbolic,” says Donya. “Because it is the regime’s key to suppressing women in Iran. If this is the only way I can protest and take a step for my freedom, I’ll do it.” Image caption, Azad was left traumatised by her time in prison, saying: “The memory of jail is with me every moment.”The three women will also protest later this week by not turning out to vote in the country’s first parliamentary elections since authorities brutally repressed the women-led uprising that followed the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022. She had been detained by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Refusing to wear the hijab in public can lead to imprisonment and torture – yet many women do it anyway. “It’s true that there’s no longer a strong presence of people on the streets,” 34-year-old HR manager Azad tells me. “But in our hearts, the regime has been completely destroyed, and people don’t accept anything it does. So their way of showing their disapproval will be not to vote.”‘Solitary confinement was the worst you can imagine’Azad was arrested in October 2022 and imprisoned for a month. She was re-arrested in July last year, for social media posts criticising the government, and spent 120 days in jail – 21 of them in solitary confinement.”Solitary confinement was the worst place you can imagine,” she says. “The cell door was locked all the time. The cell was 1m (3.3ft) by 1.5m (4.9ft). There was no outside light, but artificial lights were on day and night. We were blindfolded when we went to the toilet.”Azad was so disturbed by the ordeal that she hit her head against the cell wall, and is still traumatised. “Sometimes now I start crying without any reason,” she says. “Sometimes I don’t want to open my eyes because I think I’m still there. The memory of the jail is with me every moment.”She described interrogations that lasted from 08:00 until night-time.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Refusing to wear the hijab in public can lead to imprisonment, yet many women are prepared to take the risk”It is called ‘white torture’ and it is worse than a thousand beatings. They would threaten and humiliate me. But I would mock them.”And despite all that she’s already endured, Azad’s still willing to risk jail again by going out without the hijab.”After we lost Mahsa Amini, I promised myself that I will not wear the hijab, or ever buy another one for myself or anyone else,” she says. “Every change has a price. And we’re ready to pay it.”Many women in Iran now go out without a headscarf, although some have one around their necks in case they’re stopped by the morality police. But I’ve been told that around one in five are not wearing one at all – in a daily act of bravery, defiance and principle.”I will never give up,” Azad messages me – followed by a heart emoji and a victory sign.’I’m not allowed to go to work without the hijab’But another woman I speak to in Tehran describes herself now as “worn out” by the struggle against the regime.Bahareh, a 39-year old reporter and film critic, has taken a massive salary cut to work from home, rather than going into her office – where she would be forced to wear the veil.”I’m tired and disappointed,” she tells me. “I’m not allowed to go to work without the hijab and I’m not willing to wear it.” She now has to rely on her husband’s salary.Iran’s defiant women: ‘I wear what I like now’ Iran stops families marking protesters’ deathsRecently, while out driving without a headscarf, she was stopped by the police and had her car confiscated.She was also arrested late last year, after posting pictures of herself without the hijab on her Instagram account and encouraging others to do the same. A Revolutionary Court gave her a six-month suspended sentence and a fine. “I was insulted and threatened, told I was wrong and accused of inciting people to revolution and nakedness.”Image caption, Bahareh was arrested last year after posting pictures of herself without the hijab on her Instagram accountI ask Bahareh why she thinks she wasn’t actually jailed. “Because the prisons are full of people and they prefer just to scare people like me,” she replies.”I still go out, but it’s difficult because restaurants and cafes and bookstores can be closed down for letting me in without the hijab,” she says. “It makes me feel very bitter.”We agree to delete our conversation as soon as we finish it, such is her fear of being caught talking to me. “Then I will block you,” she messages. “I have no choice. If I am arrested no-one can help me and I will be accused of spying and sentenced to death.”Terror and courage exist side-by-side for many Iranian women willing to defy the regime. Along with anger and hope.’I panicked and my dad got scared as well’Donya describes a recent theatre trip with her father to downtown Tehran. She was wearing a hat for warmth, and took it off in the metro, when she was yelled at by a group of men and women in black chadors – the full-body cloaks worn by female morality police – to put on her headscarf.”I didn’t have one. Only my hat. And a stubborn urge in me refused to put it on,” she says. “It was so scary. I kept walking, ignoring them. And there were so many of them, they’d occupied most of the station.”It was only when she heard one of them say to the other, “Please take this girl to the van,” that she reconsidered.”My blood ran cold. I panicked and my dad got scared as well. So I put on my hat!”The only other time Donya covers her head is to enter her university, because she wouldn’t be allowed in without it. However, she says she – and others – then take it off in the classrooms.”My friends and I wish we could wear cool clothes with gorgeous hairstyles at university – like in other countries.”People were asleep before Mahsa’s death – metaphorically – but now they’re more aware,” she adds. “The protests are the reason why so many women refuse to wear a headscarf on the streets. But they’re also tired of the pressure and all the news of executions. It’s a difficult and exhausting path.”But people still write graffiti on public walls, she says, and boycott state television.”I see people fighting for change every day,” she says. “I believe in my generation, Gen Z. We can’t stand oppression. People find every chance they can to dance and cheer or sing in the streets, because dancing is illegal.”Azad, too, is buoyed by the solidarity of strangers, and a new sense of unity against the regime.She says even hijab-wearing women encourage her for refusing to cover her hair. And she’s convinced that, after 45 years in power, the days of the Islamic Republic are numbered.”The revolution will happen,” she says. “But nobody knows exactly when.”Related TopicsIranMahsa Amini2022 Iran protestsMore on this storyIranian women face 10 years’ jail under hijab billPublished20 September 2023Protesters mark a year since Mahsa Amini’s deathPublished16 September 2023Iran’s defiant women: ‘I wear what I like now’Published15 September 2023Top StoriesPost Office confirms boss is under investigationPublished2 hours agoNetanyahu and Biden spar over Israel-Gaza war supportPublished3 hours agoGodson and friend guilty of Run-DMC star’s murderPublished33 minutes agoFeaturesGazans in survival mode with cold nights and food rationsWhy firms are racing to produce green ammoniaSecondary school places: What parents need to knowWalkers spot ‘breathtaking’ cloud inversionsThe young refusing to become Myanmar’s ‘human shields’Hear the fish louder than a jackhammer. 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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaCould you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Could you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersCloseJury selection is under way in Donald Trump’s New York City hush-money trial, with hundreds of people selected as potential jurors.They must answer a questionnaire to determine, among other things, if they can be impartial about the former president.The BBC asked some of those questions to Manhattan residents.SubsectionUS & CanadaPublished50 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionExplore moreCould you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New Yorkers. Video, 00:02:16Could you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished50 minutes ago2:16Up Next. A view from inside court for Trump’s blockbuster trial. Video, 00:01:15A view from inside court for Trump’s blockbuster trialSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished19 hours agoUp Next1:15Press, police and protesters: Outside Trump courthouse. Video, 00:01:12Press, police and protesters: Outside Trump courthouseSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished1 day ago1:12Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 seconds. Video, 00:01:00Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 secondsSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished31 March 20231:00Editor’s recommendationsCopenhagen stock exchange engulfed by huge fire. Video, 00:01:03Copenhagen stock exchange engulfed by huge fireSubsectionEuropePublished12 hours ago1:03Moment spire collapses at Copenhagen stock exchange. Video, 00:00:43Moment spire collapses at Copenhagen stock exchangeSubsectionEuropePublished11 hours ago0:43Dormice ladders built in the Forest of Dean. Video, 00:00:51Dormice ladders built in the Forest of DeanSubsectionGloucestershirePublished1 day ago0:51Liz Truss: The world was safer under Trump. Video, 00:00:35Liz Truss: The world was safer under TrumpSubsectionUK PoliticsPublished22 hours ago0:35Huge fires blaze along Miami highway. Video, 00:00:33Huge fires blaze along Miami highwaySubsectionUS & CanadaPublished12 hours ago0:33Watch: Georgia opposition leader punches MP during debate. Video, 00:00:34Watch: Georgia opposition leader punches MP during debateSubsectionEuropePublished21 hours ago0:34Wheelie bins fly and a caravan overturns in strong wind. Video, 00:00:24Wheelie bins fly and a caravan overturns in strong windSubsectionStoke & StaffordshirePublished1 day ago0:24Hannah Waddingham calls out demanding paparazzi. Video, 00:00:28Hannah Waddingham calls out demanding paparazziSubsectionEntertainment & ArtsPublished1 day ago0:28Endangered California condor chicks hatched in LA. Video, 00:01:28Endangered California condor chicks hatched in LASubsectionUS & CanadaPublished1 day ago1:28
[ad_1] Jury selection is under way in Donald Trump’s New York City hush-money trial, with hundreds of people selected as potential jurors. They must answer a questionnaire to determine, among…
BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityUKEnglandN. IrelandScotlandAlbaWalesCymruIsle of ManGuernseyJerseyLocal NewsFirst product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealedPublished11 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Meghan pictured at a polo match in Florida last weekBy Sean CoughlanRoyal correspondentA first glimpse of the new business venture from the Duchess of Sussex has been teased on social media, with pictures of a jar of strawberry jam.In a bid to preserve a sense of mystery, the jam from the new American Riviera Orchard brand seemed to be spread among friends and influencers.Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted a picture of the jam on Instagram.It was numbered “17 of 50”, suggesting the number of recipients of this first fruit of the new business.The arrival of Meghan’s new California-based lifestyle brand had been signalled on social media last month and this suggests that it will be selling food products.What do we know about Meghan’s new brand?Five things about Harry and Meghan’s brand revampWhy did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?There seemed to be have been something of a re-launch for Meghan and husband Prince Harry’s brands and businesses this year, beginning with the overhaul of their regal-looking website under the sussex.com label.Their latest projects seem to be moving away from a previous focus on their time as working royals, such as their Netflix film Harry and Meghan and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.The hint about the strawberry jam from Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand seems to fit with the couple’s latest Netflix plans.Meghan is going to launch a Netflix show which will “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining, and friendship”.Prince Harry will be involved in another Netflix venture showing the inside track on the world of polo. That’s the equestrian sport, not the mints.Delfina Blaquier, married to Prince Harry’s polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras, also posted a picture of the new jam, with hers labelled “10 of 50”.The social media trail for American Riviera Orchard evokes a sense of the couple’s home in California – and this soft launch for the jam show pictures of the jars in a sunny basket of lemons.It’s not known how much items from the new lifestyle brand will cost. Although there are already plenty of other royals getting into jams. Visitors to the gift shops in royal palaces can get a Buckingham Palace Strawberry Preserve for £3.95 or Windsor Castle Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade, also for £3.95.On both sides of the Atlantic they seem to be conserving their finances.Related TopicsUK Royal FamilyMeghan, Duchess of SussexMore on this storyWhat we know about Meghan’s regal lifestyle brandPublished16 MarchMeghan launches surprise new lifestyle brandPublished14 MarchTop StoriesMPs back smoking ban for those born after 2009Published8 minutes agoMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished2 hours agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished7 hours agoFeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlinePlaying Coachella after cancer emotional, says DJHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Nursery boss ‘killed baby she strapped to beanbag’2Birmingham Airport flights disrupted by incident3Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge4First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed5MPs back smoking ban for those born after 20096Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference7Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames8Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline9Marten a ‘lioness’ who ‘loved her cubs’, court told10Sons of McCartney and Lennon release joint single
[ad_1] The jars of strawberry jam, labelled America Riviera Orchard, have been shared with friends and influencers.