The move has been described as ‘chilling’ by activists and rights groups as arrests mount over dress code breaches

Summary

Iran announced plans to open a “hijab removal treatment clinic” to provide “scientific and psychological treatment” for women defying the country’s mandatory hijab laws, sparking outrage from activists and human rights groups.

Critics, including UK-based Iranian journalist Sima Sabet, condemned the clinic as “chilling” and akin to social exclusion.

Human rights lawyer Hossein Raeesi noted the clinic is unprecedented under both Islamic and Iranian law.

The move follows increased arrests, forced disappearances, and alleged abuses in psychiatric facilities targeting women and protesters in breach of hijab laws.