Iran prosecutes woman for 'disrespecting' Islamic headscarf

Iran's judiciary is prosecuting a woman for "disrespecting" the Islamic headscarf after she threw hers to the ground during a public meeting, an Iranian news agency reported on Saturday.

The requirement for women to wear the headscarf in public, enshrined in law since shortly after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, has triggered nationwide protests since the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Amini in September following her arrest for an alleged breach of the dress code.

"Legal proceedings have been launched against a woman who disrespected her headscarf during the election for the Tehran branch of the Iran Construction Engineering Organisation," the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.

A short video published by Tehran municipality newspaper Hamshahri showed a woman throwing her headscarf to the ground as participants left the meeting.

"It was falsely claimed that this individual was disqualified [from the branch election] for not wearing the headscarf," Tasnim added, without elaborating.

Since the Amini protests erupted last year, more and more women have been venturing out without covering their hair, particularly in Iran's big cities.

On 10 January, the judiciary said it wanted to resume enforcing legislation stipulating severe penalties for violations of the dress code, including exile.

In recent weeks, several cafés, restaurants and pharmacies have been shut down for serving customers not wearing the headscarf.