Iran's Electronic Surveillance: Unveiling the Hijab Crackdown

A UN report reveals Iran's increased reliance on electronic surveillance and public informants to enforce mandatory hijab laws. Despite ongoing protests against these laws, the government intensifies penalties and employs technology like drones and facial recognition to monitor compliance.

A recent United Nations report highlights Iran's escalating use of electronic surveillance and public informants to enforce its mandatory hijab law. This comes amid pressures from hard-liners for harsher penalties against those defying the law.

Findings, released by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, follow the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked widespread protests against the hijab mandate. Despite threats of arrest and imprisonment, public defiance continues, underscoring the deep-seated discrimination faced by women and girls in Iran.

The report details how Iranian authorities are deploying tools such as drones, facial recognition technology, and surveillance apps to monitor women. This escalated enforcement coincides with an economic crisis linked to US sanctions, thus highlighting the ongoing socio-political challenges faced by the Iranian government.

(With inputs from agencies.)