An Iranian woman has been sentenced to 74 lashes and a fine for offending Islamic morality for not wearing the Islamic headscarf, the judiciary has announced.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, wearing the hijab (head covering) has been compulsory in Iran for all women, including foreigners, who must cover their hair in public.

“Convicted Roya Heshamti encouraged tolerance (by going out) in a vile way in crowded places in Tehran,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency reported last night.

“The sentence of 74 lashes was carried out in accordance with the law and with the sharia” and “for violating user morals”Mizan Online added.

The convicted woman’s lawyer, Maziar Tatati, told the Shargh newspaper, Iran’s leading reformist paper, that his client was arrested in April “because she posted a photo of herself on social media without wearing a headscarf.”

In recent months, more and more women have been appearing without the headscarf in public, particularly after the protest movement sparked by the death in custody in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the morality police for violating the strict dress code.

Faced with acts of disobedience by women regarding the use of the hijab, the authorities tried to tighten the measures, announcing more checks, mainly using cameras, and arresting actresses posing without the hijab on social networks.

In September, parliament voted in favor of a bill that would toughen penalties for people who violate the dress code.