Iran books two actresses for not wearing hijab in public: report

Tehran: Two Iranian actresses have been charged by Iranian police for publishing photos of themselves online violating the country's dress code for women, just weeks after announcing a crackdown on breaches, local media reported.

The Tasnim news agency said late Monday that Police in Tehran have referred the case against Katayoun Riahi and Pantea Bahram to Iran's judiciary. The two women have been accused of "the crime of removing the hijab in public and posting photos on the internet."

The women could face fines or prison if prosecuted.

The police said earlier this month that they would begin using "smart" technology in public places to crack down on women combating Iran's mandatory dress code.

Last week, photos of Bahram, 53, started circulating over social media after she posed without a headscarf at a movie screening. While, Riahi, 61, posted multiple images taken in public locations around the capital in which she did not wear a headscarf.

The Iranian government bound the women to wear the hijab in public after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The number of Iranian women rebelling against the dress code has been on the rise since protests began after the death in custody of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, 22, for allegedly breaching the code.

Authorities said on April 16 that they had sealed 150 commercial facilities whose workers were not complying with the dress regulation.

Ms Bahram and Ms Riahi have won several awards at Iran's leading cinema event, the Fajr International Film Festival.

In November, Ms Riahi was released on bail after more than a week's detention for posting photos to Instagram in solidarity with the Amini protests, showing herself without a headscarf.

She was the first Iranian actress to post such images on social media in support of the protest movement.