The visit of UN deputy High Commissioner on human rights to Iran
Ms Neda Al-Seif is due to travel to Iran and visit prisons among other things. We urge Ms Al-Seif to regard the names of tens of women and girls who over years have been harrassed, detained and in the case of Mahsa, Jina Amini murdered for improper hejab or defying orders to wear it. Since the onset of the Islamic regime 45 years ago, Iranian women gave continuously and vehemently opposed wearing an imposed dress code. Now, on the eve of yet another elections and the numerous protests and demonstrations and thousands of detentions and arrests women in some areas have defied the order and taken off the imposed hejab.
To respect the wishes if millions of Iranian women, we urge Ms Al-Seif not to wear the hejab while in Iran, especially when visiting prisons and other places. The Islamic regime in Iran has tried to use all such visits and show a different face to the world. We urge Ms Seif not to become an instrument of their publicity.
We urge her to demonstrate that so many lives have not been ruined in vain. Iranian women deserve to be treated as equal to men in all aspects and not wearing the imposed dress is one such example.