Iranian Court Sparks Controversy By Diagnosing Hijab Protesters With Mental Illness

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

July 22, 2023
By Roya Maleki

Iranian Court Sparks Controversy By Diagnosing Hijab Protesters With Mental Illness

Judges in Iran have diagnosed three prominent actresses sentenced for not wearing the hijab as mentally ill, anti-family, and antisocial, prompting top psychologists in the country to condemn the "abuse of psychiatry and psychology in the judiciary."

The heads of four leading psychiatry boards in the country went public with their criticisms after actresses Azadeh Samadi, Leila Bolukat, and Afsaneh Bayegan were all recently given the diagnoses during their sentencing in a Tehran criminal court.

"The diagnosis of mental disorders is within the competence of a psychiatrist, not a judge. Just as the diagnosis of other diseases is in the competence of doctors, not judges," the psychiatrists wrote in an open letter to judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei published by Iranian media on July 20.

The three actresses ran afoul of the law after they appeared in recent months in public without wearing headscarves, in violation of the country's strict hijab requirement that has fueled nationwide protests in recent months.

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The addition of mental health diagnoses of "antisocial and anti-family" behavior alongside the women's sentencing, requiring regular psychological treatment and certifications of good mental health were judgments that the top psychiatrists say the courts were not qualified to make.

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Read more: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-court-controversy-diagnosing-hijab-protesters-mental-illness/32514690.html