Rakhshan Banietemad, a renowned Iranian filmmaker, and her actress daughter, Baran Kosari, have been indicted by Iranian authorities for violating the Islamic dress code by appearing in public without the veil. Banietemad, a pioneer in Iranian cinema, has won numerous awards for her work, while Kosari was awarded the best actress at the Tehran Fajr film festival in 2015.
The incident occurred at a film event where photos of the mother-daughter duo without the mandatory headscarf were posted online and quickly spread across social media. Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, not wearing a headscarf in public is considered a crime and a violation of the country’s strict dress code for women.
The charges against Banietemad and Kosari have sparked a debate on social media about women’s rights and freedom of expression in Iran. Despite the controversy, both Iranian and foreign women must adhere to the strict dress code enforced by the Islamic republic.
This incident highlights the ongoing struggle for women’s rights in Iran and the challenges faced by female artists in the country’s conservative society.