Iranian woman who took off her headscarf sentenced to year in prison

Vida Movahed, the ‘Girl of Enghelab Street,’ said to be on pardon list by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian woman who removed her obligatory Islamic headscarf in a public protest in 2017 has been sentenced to one year in prison but, her lawyer said Sunday, was pardoned by the state’s supreme leader.

Payam Derefshan told The Associated Press a court sentenced Vida Movahed in March after finding her guilty of encouraging public “corruption.” Movahed was arrested in November. Derefshan, who first revealed the verdict to local media on Sunday, said she is on a pardon list but the release procedures are still underway.

There was no official comment. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei occasionally issues pardons, usually tied to public holidays.

Movahed, 32, was dubbed the “Girl of Enghelab Street” and briefly arrested in 2017 after she took off her headscarf and held it in the air.

Video clips of the protest were widely shared on social media, and authorities briefly detained 29 women on similar charges the following year.

In this file photo taken on February 7, 2018, Iranian women wearing hijabs walk down a street in the capital Tehran. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Three have reportedly been sentenced to two years in prison and some others are believed to have left the country. Iranian court proceedings are usually closed to the public and verdicts are often not publicized.

Iranian law requires women to dress conservatively and cover their hair in public. Those who violate the rules are usually sentenced to two months in prison or less and fined around $25.

Authorities have adopted a tougher approach toward the protests, which they say are part of a campaign orchestrated from abroad by opposition groups and social media networks.